DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed melanoma

  • Stage IV disease (e.g., disease in 2 nodal basins)
  • Mucosal and unknown primary disease allowed
• Surgically incurable or unresectable disease
• No ocular melanoma

• Evaluable disease

  • No metatatic disease confirmed by positron-emission tomography (PET)
• No clinical evidence of brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-1 OR
• WHO 0-1

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count > 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin > 10 g/dL

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times ULN (5 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
• Lactic dehydrogenase ≤ 2 times ULN

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 ULN

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 6 months after study participation
• No frequent vomiting or other medical condition that would preclude oral medication intake (e.g., partial bowel obstruction)
• No known clinically uncontrolled infectious disease
• No known HIV positivity
• No AIDS-related disease
• No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except surgically cured carcinoma in situ of the cervix or basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• At least 4 weeks since prior adjuvant cytokine or vaccine therapy for resected stage I-III disease
• At least 4 weeks since prior vaccine therapy for stage IV disease
• At least 4 weeks since prior cytokine therapy by isolated limb perfusion for locoregional disease
• No prior cytokine therapy for stage IV disease
• No concurrent immunotherapy
• No concurrent biologic therapy

Chemotherapy

• No prior chemotherapy for stage IV disease
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy by isolated limb perfusion for locoregional disease
• No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• Recovered from prior major surgery

• At least 4 weeks since prior palliative surgery for stage IV disease

  • No prior radical surgery for stage IV disease

Other

• Recovered from prior adjuvant therapy
• No other concurrent investigational drugs