Biological Therapy in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed metastatic melanoma * Stage IV disease * HLA-A1, -A2, and -A3 positive * MAGE-1 or -3 positive by histology * Bidimensionally measurable disease by palpation on clinical examination, x-ray, or CT scan * No CNS metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 18 to 75 Performance status * Karnofsky 80-100% Life expectancy * More than 6 months Hematopoietic * Not specified Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 1.6 mg/dL * SGOT ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal * PT ≤ 1.5 times control Renal * Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL * Calcium ≤ 12 mg/dL Cardiovascular * No congestive heart failure * No clinically significant hypotension * No symptoms of coronary artery disease * No cardiac arrhythmias on electrocardiogram requiring drug therapy * Patients with prior cardiovascular disease or the presence of any of the above abnormalities undergo a cardiac evaluation, which may include a stress test and/or echocardiogram Pulmonary * No clinically significant pulmonary dysfunction by medical history or physical examination * FEV\_1 ≥ 60% of normal * DLCO ≥ 55% (corrected for hemoglobin) Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No retinitis or choroiditis * No active infections or oral temperature greater than 38.2 degrees Celsius within the past 72 hours * No systemic infection requiring chronic maintenance or suppressive therapy PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * No other concurrent immunotherapy (e.g., other interleukins, interferons, melanoma vaccines, intravenous immunoglobulin, or expanded polyclonal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes or lymphokine-activated killer cell therapy) Chemotherapy * At least 3 weeks since prior standard or experimental chemotherapy * 1-2 courses of prior cytoreductive chemotherapy for bulky disease allowed Endocrine therapy * No concurrent systemic steroids (except for toxicity management) Radiotherapy * At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy Surgery * Not specified Other * At least 3 weeks since prior immunosuppressive therapy * No concurrent pentoxifylline * No other concurrent investigational agents