Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed cutaneous* melanoma

- Stage IV

- Incurable by surgical resection

- Progressive disease after at least 1 standard chemotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy
regimen (e.g., dacarbazine or cisplatin monotherapy)

- Unidimensionally or bidimensionally measurable disease by physical examination (e.g.,
cutaneous metastases) and/or noninvasive radiological procedures

- No active CNS metastases by CT scan or MRI

- Previously treated (e.g., excision of a single metastasis) CNS metastases are
allowed provided there are no signs of active CNS metastases NOTE: *Metastatic
melanoma with unidentified primary tumor allowed provided an ocular melanoma can
be definitely excluded and origin from the skin is likely

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy

- At least 4 months

Hematopoietic

- WBC greater than 2,500/mm^3

- Neutrophil count greater than 1,000/mm^3

- Lymphocyte count greater than 700/mm^3

- Platelet count greater than 75,000/mm^3

- Hemoglobin greater than 9 g/dL

- No bleeding disorder

Hepatic

- Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL

- No evidence of hepatitis B or C infection

Renal

- Creatinine less than 2.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

- No clinically significant heart disease

Pulmonary

- No respiratory disease

Immunologic

- HIV-1 and HIV-2 negative

- HTLV-1 negative

- No active systemic infection

- No immunodeficiency disease

- No active autoimmune disease (e.g., lupus erythematosus, autoimmune thyroiditis or
uveitis, multiple sclerosis, or inflammatory bowel disease)

- Vitiligo allowed

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 4 weeks
after study participation

- Stable medical condition

- No other major serious illness

- No contraindication to leukapheresis

- No organic brain syndrome or significant psychiatric abnormality that would preclude
study participation or follow-up

- No other active malignant neoplasm

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy

- No other concurrent immunotherapy during and for 2 weeks after study participation

Chemotherapy

- More than 4 weeks since prior systemic chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas [e.g.,
fotemustine])

- No concurrent chemotherapy during and for 2 weeks after study participation

Endocrine therapy

- No concurrent corticosteroids during and for 2 weeks after study participation

Radiotherapy

- More than 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy

- No prior radiotherapy to the spleen

- Concurrent palliative radiotherapy to selected metastases (e.g., due to pain or local
complications such as compression) is allowed

Surgery

- Recovered from prior surgery

- No prior splenectomy

- No prior organ allografts

- Concurrent surgical therapy to selected metastases (e.g., due to pain or local
complications such as compression) is allowed

- Selected accessible metastases may be removed for tumor infiltrating lymphocyte
assay or other immunomonitoring investigations (e.g., expression of tumor
antigens and HLA molecules)

Other

- No other concurrent investigational drug or paramedical substance during and for 2
weeks after study participation

- No concurrent participation in another clinical trial

- Concurrent palliative medication allowed (e.g., acetaminophen, indomethacin, or
opiates)