DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven stage IV colorectal carcinoma

  • Failed or refused conventional chemotherapy
• Lewis Y antigen present on more than 50% of tumor cells
• Measurable or evaluable disease
• No CNS tumor involvement

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 80-100%

Life expectancy:

• At least 6 weeks

Hematopoietic:

• Granulocyte count greater than 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin no greater than 1.0 mg/dL
• Prothrombin time less than 1.3 times control

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.4 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

• No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease

Other:

• No serious infection requiring antibiotics or other serious illness
• Not pregnant or nursing
• No history of bleeding gastric ulcers or pancreatitis
• No diabetes mellitus requiring insulin
• Human antimouse antibody (HAMA) negative

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No prior mouse monoclonal antibody or antibody fragments
• At least 4 weeks since other prior immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• No concurrent steroids or other antiinflammatory agents

Radiotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery:

• Not specified