Vaccine Therapy and GM-CSF in Treating Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Remission

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), defined by the presence of \> 20% blasts in marrow or blood, including the following subtypes: * De novo AML, defined as AML with no clinical history of prior myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or myeloproliferative disorder (MPD) or exposure to potentially leukemogenic therapies or agents * Secondary AML, defined as the following: * AML secondary to prior existing MDS or MPD or development of AML secondary to proven leukemogenic exposure * History of fatigue, bleeding, or recurrent infections preceding diagnosis of AML by ≥ 1 month with confirmation of existing peripheral blood film that demonstrates morphologic dysplasia * In first complete remission (CR) (patients ≥ 55 years of age) OR second CR (patients ≥ 18 years of age) within the past month * FAB stages M0-M2 and M4-M7 allowed if in first CR * No acute promyelocytic leukemia in first CR * FAB stages M0-M7 allowed if in second CR * Marrow blast count \< 5% (≤ 200 nucleated cell count) * No blasts in blood * HLA-A2 positive at 1 allele * No extramedullary disease * No Auer rods * No active meningeal or CNS leukemia PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-1 * Life expectancy must not be severely limited by other diseases * Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3 * Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3 * Bilirubin \< 2 mg/mL * ALT \< 2 times upper limit of normal * Creatinine ≤ 1.6 mg/mL * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody negative * No serious medical condition, laboratory abnormality, or psychiatric illness that would preclude study compliance or increase risk to patient * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix or breast * No known allergy to incomplete Freund's adjuvant * No hypercalcemia * No progressive viral or bacterial infection * Must be afebrile for 7 days without antibiotics * No symptomatic cardiac disease * LVEF ≥ 40% * No symptomatic pulmonary disease * FEV\_1, FVC, and DLCO ≥ 50% of predicated (without bronchodilator) * No history of HIV positivity or AIDS * No known hypersensitivity to sargramostim (GM-CSF), yeast-derived products, or any component of this product * No history of Wegener's granulomatosis or vasculitis PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * Recovered from prior surgery and/or radiotherapy * No prior allogeneic or syngeneic stem cell transplantation * No prior solid organ transplantation * No prior vaccine therapy for AML * More than 28 days since prior chronic use (\> 2 weeks) of corticosteroids \> 10 mg/day (prednisone \[or equivalent\]) * Concurrent topical or inhaled corticosteroids allowed * More than 3 months since prior experimental therapy, cyclosporine, or tacrolimus * No concurrent radiotherapy