DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed cutaneous or mucosal melanoma, meeting criteria for 1 of the following:

  • Unresectable stage III disease (locally relapsed unresectable, in-transit lesions, or unresectable draining nodes)

  • Stage IV disease, metastatic to 1 of the following sites:

    • Skin, subcutaneous tissues, or distant lymph nodes
    • Lung
    • Other visceral sites with lactic dehydrogenase ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (unless due to liver stasis)
• De novo metastatic disease allowed provided patient refused any standard or approved stage-appropriate therapy for melanoma
• Measurable disease
• HLA-A2.1 positive (HLA-A*0201 by molecular subtyping)
• MART-1-expressing tumor by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or immunohistochemistry
• No symptomatic brain metastases and/or progression of CNS metastases within the past 4 weeks

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-1 OR
• Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Not specified

Hepatic

• See Disease Characteristics
• No chronic hepatitis B or C

Renal

• Not specified

Pulmonary

• No asthma

Gastrointestinal

• No inflammatory bowel disease
• No celiac disease
• No history of chronic colitis or other chronic gastrointestinal conditions associated with diarrhea or bleeding

Immunologic

• HIV negative

• No active chronic inflammatory or autoimmune disease, including any of the following:

  • Psoriasis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Hashimoto's thyroiditis
  • Addison's disease
  • Graves' disease
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
• No active infection OR fever over 100° F within the past 3 days
• No allergy to study drugs

Other

• Not pregnant
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception during and for 3 months after study participation
• No symptomatic seizures
• No other medical problem that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• More than 30 days since prior immunotherapy for metastatic, relapsed, or primary melanoma
• No prior melanoma immunotherapy containing MART-1 antigen
• No prior anti-T-cell therapy
• No prior anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 monoclonal antibody (CP-675,206)

Chemotherapy

• More than 30 days since prior chemotherapy for metastatic, relapsed, or primary melanoma

Endocrine therapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior corticosteroids

Radiotherapy

• More than 30 days since prior radiotherapy for metastatic, relapsed, or primary melanoma

Surgery

• More than 30 days since prior surgery for metastatic, relapsed, or primary melanoma
• No organ allografts requiring long-term immune suppressive therapy

Other

• More than 30 days since other prior therapy for metastatic, relapsed, or primary melanoma
• More than 14 days since prior anti-infective therapy
• More than 4 weeks since prior immune suppressive therapy (e.g., cyclosporine)