DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed melanoma

  • Metastatic disease

    • Brain metastases, skin metastases, or soft tissue metastases of the head and neck or the extremities
  • Accessible lesion(s) for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)
  • No clear progression of disease at other sites than the ones intended for treatment with surgery and/or BNCT

• Measurable disease by MRI within the past 4 weeks

  • Lesion(s) ≥ 10 mm in diameter
• Indication for palliative radiotherapy that is intended to be delivered as BNCT

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• Karnofsky 70-100%

Life expectancy

• Not specified

Hematopoietic

• Neutrophil count ≥ 2,000/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)*
• Transaminases ≤ 2.5 times ULN*
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN* NOTE: *Unless due to reversible reaction to antiseizure medication

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 2.5 times ULN
• Blood urea nitrogen ≤ 2.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular

• No congestive heart failure
• No newly diagnosed or unstable angina pectoris
• No uncontrolled arrhythmias
• No uncontrolled conduction defects
• No recent coronary artery disease
• No other severe heart disease

Pulmonary

• No severe pulmonary disease, including severe obstructive or restrictive lung disease

Other

• No history of phenylketonuria
• No severe gastrointestinal disease
• No active peptic ulcer disease
• No uncontrolled endocrine disease
• No pre-existing serious mental or organic brain disease (e.g., epilepsy)
• No psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance
• Able to travel to the Netherlands via public transportation
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No concurrent immunologic or biologic therapy
• No concurrent colony-stimulating factors (e.g., epoetin alfa or filgrastim [G-CSF])

Chemotherapy

• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• No concurrent hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy

• No prior radiotherapy to site(s) proposed for study treatment
• No other concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics

Other

• Recovered from all prior anti-tumor therapy (excluding alopecia and sensitive peripheral neuropathy ≤ grade 2)
• No other concurrent anticancer therapy
• No other concurrent investigational drugs