Vaccine Therapy With or Without Interleukin-12 in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically proven stage III or IV cutaneous or ocular melanoma that can be completely resected or rendered free of disease but is at high risk of recurrence OR Recurrent disease following interferon alfa or ineligible for or refused interferon alfa HLA-A2 positive Tumor tissue must be available for analysis of gp100/tyrosinase expression Detectable expression of one or the other antigen not required

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: ECOG 0-1 Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: WBC at least 3,000/mm3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3 Absolute granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm3 Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL Hepatic: Bilirubin no greater than 2 mg/dL Renal: Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min Cardiovascular: No major cardiovascular illness Pulmonary: No major respiratory illness (e.g., pneumonia) Gastrointestinal: No major gastrointestinal illness Other: Not pregnant or nursing No major systemic infection (e.g., sepsis) No coagulation or bleeding disorder HIV negative Hepatitis B surface antigen negative Hepatitis C surface antigen negative No history of uveitis or autoimmune inflammatory eye disease No active autoimmune disease Not allergic to Montanide ISA-51 No active second malignancy within the past 5 years

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: See Disease Characteristics At least 1 month since prior biologic therapy Chemotherapy: At least 1 month since prior chemotherapy, including adjuvant therapy Endocrine therapy: At least 1 month since prior endocrine therapy No concurrent steroid therapy Radiotherapy: At least 1 month since prior radiotherapy Surgery: See Disease Characteristics At least 1 month since prior surgery