APN401 in Treating Patients With Melanoma, Kidney Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, or Other Solid Tumors That Are Metastatic or Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

Histologically confirmed metastatic or inoperable solid tumors that are no longer responding to standard therapies; preference will be made to patients with melanoma, renal cell, and pancreatic cancer; patients with other types of solid tumors will require approval by the principal investigator

Measurable disease as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST)

Patients with treated, stable, and asymptomatic brain metastases are eligible

Must be at least 4 weeks since treatment with chemotherapy, biochemotherapy, immunotherapy, and/or radiation and recovered from any clinically significant toxicity experienced; must be at least 4 weeks and have recovered from major surgery

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 or 1

White blood cells (WBC) \>= 3000/uL

Platelets \>= 100,000/uL

Hematocrit \>= 28%

Creatinine =\< 1.6 mg/dL

Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \< 2.5 x upper limit of normal

Bilirubin =\< 1.6 mg/dL (except patients with Gilbert's syndrome, who must have a total bilirubin less than 3.0 mg/dL)

Albumin \>= 3.0 g/dL

International normalized ratio (INR) =\< 1.5

Any other malignancy from which the patient has been disease-free for less than 2 years, with the exception of adequately treated and cured basal or squamous cell skin cancer, superficial bladder cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix

Other ongoing systemic therapy for cancer, including any other experimental treatment; these include concomitant therapy with any of the following: interleukin (IL)-2, interferon, ipilimumab or other immunotherapy; cytotoxic chemotherapy; and targeted therapies

Ongoing requirement for an immunosuppressive treatment, including the use of glucocorticoids or cyclosporine, or with a history of chronic use of any such medication within the last 4 weeks before enrolment; patients are excluded if they have any concurrent medical condition that requires the use of systemic steroids (the use of inhaled or topical steroids is permitted)

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Active infection with hepatitis B; active or chronic infection with hepatitis C

Clinically significant pulmonary dysfunction, as determined by medical history and physical examination; patients with a history of pulmonary dysfunction must have pulmonary function tests with a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) \>= 60% of predicted and a diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) \>= 55% (corrected for hemoglobin)

Clinically significant cardiovascular abnormalities (e.g., congestive heart failure or symptoms of coronary artery disease), as determined by medical history and physical examination; patients with a history of cardiac disease must have a normal cardiac stress test (treadmill, echocardiogram, or myocardial perfusion scan) within the past 6 months of study entry

Active infections or oral temperature \> 38.2º Celsius (C) within 48 hours of study entry

Systemic infection requiring chronic maintenance or suppressive therapy

Patients are excluded for any underlying medical or psychiatric condition, which in the opinion of the investigator, will make treatment hazardous or obscure the interpretation of adverse events, such as a condition associated with frequent rashes or diarrhea

What this study is about