Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage II, Stage IIIA, Stage IIIB, or Stage IVA Liver Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma Stage II-IVA disease No active disease after local or regional therapy (e.g., surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, or ethanol injection) Serum alpha fetoprotein > upper limit of normal HLA-A*0201 positive by DNA subtyping PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age Over 18 Performance status Karnofsky 70-100% Life expectancy Not specified Hematopoietic Hemoglobin > 9.0 g/dL (transfusion independent) Platelet count > 50,000/mm^3 Absolute neutrophil count > 1,000/mm^3 Hepatic Child Pugh class A or B liver function Hepatitis B or C viral infection allowed Renal Not specified Cardiovascular No New York Heart Association class III or IV cardiac insufficiency No coronary artery disease Immunologic HIV negative No other acute viral, bacterial, or fungal infection requiring therapy No allergy to study agents No history of opportunistic infection No high serum titer of neutralizing anti-adenoviral antibodies No congenital or acquired condition resulting in an inability to generate an immune response Other Not pregnant Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use effective double-method (including a barrier method) contraception No other condition that would preclude study participation PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy Not specified Chemotherapy At least 30 days since prior chemotherapy No concurrent cytotoxic chemotherapy Endocrine therapy At least 30 days since prior steroid therapy No concurrent steroid therapy, including corticosteroids Radiotherapy Not specified Surgery See Disease Characteristics No prior organ allograft Other At least 2 weeks since prior therapy for acute infection No concurrent immunosuppressive therapy No concurrent cyclosporine