Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically confirmed diagnosis of melanoma with measurable disease
• Patients with stage IV or unresectable advanced melanoma
• Age at least 16 years.
• ECOG performance status of 0-1
• Life expectancy > 3 months

• Adequate major organ function to tolerate therapy, as defined by:

  • Total bilirubin 2.0 mg/dL.
  • Creatinine 1.8 mg/dL.
  • WBC 3,000/mm3.
  • Platelet count 100,000/mm3.
• Patients 50 years of age with one or more cardiac risk factors must demonstrate normal exercise stress test, stress thallium test, or comparable cardiac ischemia evaluation
• Left ventricular ejection fraction > 40%
• Women of childbearing age must agree to use barrier method birth control and demonstrate a negative pregnancy test prior to initiation of protocol therapy. Periodic negative urine pregnancy tests will also be required.
• Patients must give written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• No prior HD- IL-2 for stage IV/unresectable advanced disease. Prior low dose IL-2 is allowed.
• No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens are allowed.
• No active CNS metastases. Treated CNS metastases without recurrence or progression for > 8 weeks are allowed.
• No concurrent use of systemic corticosteroids
• Pregnant and/or lactating are excluded
• No concurrent antineoplastic treatments, including chemotherapy, biologic response modifiers, radiation, vaccines, or other experimental therapies.
• No treatment for melanoma within the previous 4 weeks.