Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed metastatic melanoma

- Cutaneous or ocular disease

- Measurable disease

- No active unstable CNS metastases by neurologic exam AND CT scan or MRI

- Irradiated and/or resected CNS lesions allowed if there is no evidence of
disease by head MRI or CT scan for > 6 months after surgery and/or radiotherapy

- Patients with cutaneous metastases and previously irradiated and/or resected CNS
metastases are eligible if the CNS metastases are controlled and do not require
dexamethasone

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- ECOG 0-1 (0-2 for patients with cutaneous metastases)

Life expectancy

- At least 3 months

Hematopoietic

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,200/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- Hemoglobin ≥ 9.5 g/dL

Hepatic

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

- AST ≤ 3.0 times normal

- Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times normal (10 times normal if due to bone metastases)

- Hepatitis B surface antigen negative

Renal

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

- No serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring treatment

- No congestive heart failure

- No angina pectoris

- No New York Heart Association class II-IV heart disease

- No other severe cardiovascular disease

Other

- HIV negative

- No other malignancy within the past 3 years except basal cell or squamous cell skin
cancer or carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix

- No history of seizure disorder

- No severe psychiatric disorder

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- More than 12 months since prior adjuvant interferon alfa-2 (IFNα-2) therapy

- More than 30 days since prior IFNα-2 therapy for metastatic disease (6 months for
patients with cutaneous metastases)

- No more than 1 prior systemic regimen (chemotherapy or biologic) for metastatic
disease (3 regimens for patients with cutaneous metastases)

Chemotherapy

- See Biologic therapy

- No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- Concurrent replacement therapy with physiologic doses of corticosteroids allowed

- No concurrent dexamethasone or other steroidal antiemetics or
anti-inflammatories

- No other concurrent hormonal agents except steroids administered for preexisting
adrenal failure or hormones administered for non-disease-related conditions (e.g.,
insulin for diabetes)

Radiotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- More than 28 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered

- No concurrent palliative radiotherapy

Surgery

- See Disease Characteristics

- No prior organ allograft

- More than 28 days since prior major surgery requiring general anesthesia

Other

- More than 28 days since prior antibiotics for local or systemic infection

- No concurrent aspirin

- No concurrent barbiturates

- No other concurrent investigational agents