Vaccine Therapy in Treating Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically proven metastatic breast cancer * Stage IV disease patients who have either been treated to maximal response or who have had high dose chemotherapy or a marrow ablative regimen (if they meet immunologic criteria and have not received more than 2 chemotherapy regimens for treatment of metastatic disease) * Patients with advanced stage disease who: * Received at least 1 standard chemotherapy regimen, but no more than 2, for treatment of metastatic disease * Refused chemotherapy * Refused or progressed despite hormonal therapy * Measurable or evaluable disease * Positive or negative for HLA-A2 * Must have superficial inguinal or axillary lymph nodes that are free of tumor involvement and are surgically accessible * No symptomatic or acutely life threatening tumor that is judged likely to require intervention with alternative modalities within 3 months * No brain metastases * Hormone receptor status: * Not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: * 18 and over Sex: * Female Menopausal status: * Not specified Performance status: * ECOG 0 or 1 Life expectancy: * Not specified Hematopoietic: * WBC greater than 3,000/mm\^3 Hepatic: * Not specified Renal: * BUN less than 25 mg/dL * Creatinine less than 1.8 mg/dL Cardiovascular: * No ischemic or congestive cardiac disease requiring chronic medication * No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease * No evidence of ischemic change or ventricular ectopy (greater than 4/min) on electrocardiogram (EKG) * No evidence of type II arterial-ventricular block * No evidence of current cardiac disease by stress test and EKG Other: * HIV negative * No active infection requiring treatment * No psychiatric illness * No history of seizure disorder * No other prior malignancy within the past 10 years except squamous cell or basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: * At least 4 weeks since prior specific or nonspecific immunotherapy, unless there is obvious progression of metastatic disease, and recovered Chemotherapy: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy, unless there is obvious progression of metastatic disease, and recovered Endocrine therapy: * At least 4 weeks since prior steroids, unless there is obvious progression of metastatic disease, and recovered Radiotherapy: * Concurrent radiotherapy allowed for local control of disease Surgery: * Not specified