Vaccine Therapy With or Without Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma That Has Not Responded to Previous Treatment

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Diagnosis of metastatic melanoma Refractory to standard therapy No resectable locoregional disease HLA-A0201 positive Measurable disease Previously resected brain metastases, brain metastases stable after prior radiosurgery, or brain metastases less than 1 cm and without edema allowed PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 16 and over Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: More than 3 months Hematopoietic: WBC at least 3,000/mm^3 Platelet count at least 90,000/mm^3 No coagulation disorders Hepatic: Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL (3.0 mg/dL for patients with Gilbert's syndrome) AST/ALT less than 3 times normal Hepatitis B surface antigen negative Renal: Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL Cardiovascular: No major medical illness of the cardiovascular system No cardiac ischemia* No myocardial infarction* No cardiac arrhythmias* NOTE: * For interleukin-2 (IL-2) administration Pulmonary: No major medical illness of the respiratory system No obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease (for IL-2 administration) Immunologic: HIV negative No primary or secondary immunodeficiency No known immunodeficiency disease No autoimmune disease No active systemic infections Other: Not pregnant Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use effective contraception PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: At least 3 weeks since prior biologic therapy for melanoma No prior immunization to tyrosinase-related protein-2 antigen No other concurrent biologic therapy for melanoma Chemotherapy: At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy for melanoma and recovered No concurrent chemotherapy for melanoma Endocrine therapy: At least 3 weeks since prior endocrine therapy for melanoma No concurrent systemic steroid therapy No concurrent endocrine therapy for melanoma Radiotherapy: See Disease Characteristics At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy for melanoma and recovered No concurrent radiotherapy for melanoma Surgery: See Disease Characteristics Other: No other concurrent therapy for melanoma