DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically or cytologically confirmed melanoma meeting 1 of the following stage criteria:

  • Unresectable stage III disease
  • Stage IV disease

• Must have 1 of the following melanoma types:

  • Cutaneous
  • Mucosal
  • Unknown primary site

• Measurable disease

  • Prior radiotherapy to a measurable lesion allowed provided there is radiographic evidence of disease progression of that lesion
• No ocular melanoma
• No history or clinical evidence of brain metastasis by brain MRI

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3
• Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• No evidence of bleeding diathesis

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (< 3.0 times ULN if Gilbert's disease is present)
• AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 5.0 times ULN if liver metastases are present)
• INR ≤ 1.5
• PTT normal

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 times ULN OR
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min

Cardiovascular

• No uncontrolled hypertension
• No myocardial infarction
• No unstable angina
• No New York Heart Association class II-IV congestive heart failure
• No serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication
• No peripheral vascular disease > grade 2 within the past year
• No other clinically significant cardiovascular disease

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No HIV positivity
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or ductal or lobular carcinoma in situ of breast
• No ongoing or active infection requiring parenteral antibiotics
• No other serious illness
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• Prior interferon, interleukin-2, sargramostim (GM-CSF), or vaccine allowed in the adjuvant or metastatic setting
• At least 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy and recovered

Chemotherapy

• No prior systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy for the treatment of melanoma in the adjuvant or metastatic setting

  • Chemotherapy given via isolated limb perfusion is allowed

Endocrine therapy

• Not specified

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• No more than 1 prior investigational therapy in the adjuvant or metastatic setting

  • No prior investigational therapy comprising inhibitors of Ras, Raf, or MEK
• At least 4 weeks since prior and no other concurrent investigational agents
• No concurrent cytochrome P450 enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, or phenobarbital)
• No concurrent rifampin
• No concurrent Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)