Cyclophosphamide, Fludarabine, and Total-Body Irradiation Followed By Cellular Adoptive Immunotherapy, Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation, and Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Diagnosis of metastatic melanoma
• Measurable disease
• Resected or stable brain metastases are allowed
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-1
• Life expectancy
• At least 3 months
• Hematopoietic
• See Immunologic
• Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3 (without support of filgrastim \[G-CSF\])
• Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
• No coagulation disorders
• Hepatic
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \< 3 times upper limit of normal
• Bilirubin ≤ 2 mg/dL (\< 3 mg/dL in patients with Gilbert's syndrome)
• No hepatitis B or C
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.6 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular
• Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 45% by cardiac stress test\*
• No active major cardiovascular illness as evidenced by stress thallium or other comparable test
• No myocardial infarction
• No cardiac arrhythmias NOTE: \*For patients ≥ 50 years of age receiving high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) OR patients with a history of electrocardiogram (EKG) abnormalities, symptoms of cardiac ischemia, or arrhythmias
• Pulmonary
• Forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV\_1) ≥ 60% of predicted by pulmonary function test in patients with prolonged history of cigarette smoking or symptoms of respiratory dysfunction\*
• No active major respiratory illness
• No obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease NOTE: \*For patients receiving high-dose IL-2 only
• Immunologic
• No active major immunologic illness
• No active systemic infections
• No primary or secondary immunodeficiency
• * Fully recovered immune competence after prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy as evidenced by both of the following:
• * Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3
• * No opportunistic infections
• Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative
• Epstein-Barr virus positive
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 4 months after study treatment
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• Chemotherapy
• At least 6 weeks since prior nitrosourea therapy
• No prior cyclophosphamide and fludarabine as part of a preparative regimen on National Cancer Institute (NCI) Surgery Branch adoptive cell therapy studies unless sufficient numbers of CD34+ stem cells (more than 2 x10\^6/kg patient weight) have been obtained prior to the administration of chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• No concurrent systemic steroid therapy
• Radiotherapy
• Not specified
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• Prior minor surgery within the past 3 weeks allowed if recovered
• Other
• Recovered from all prior therapy
• At least 30 days since prior systemic therapy
• No other concurrent experimental agents