DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed advanced malignancy that expresses HER2/neu

  • Stage IIA breast cancer with more than 6 positive lymph nodes
  • Stage IIB, IIIA, or IIIB breast cancer
  • Stage III ovarian cancer
  • Lymph node positive gastric cancer
  • Metastatic tumor
• No measurable or evaluable disease after standard treatment
• No previously irradiated or newly diagnosed CNS metastases

• Hormone receptor status:

  • Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Menopausal status:

• Not specified

Performance status:

• Karnofsky 80-100%

Life expectancy:

• Greater than 6 months

Hematopoietic:

• WBC at least 3,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin at least 9 mg/dL
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

• Bilirubin less than 2.0 mg/dL
• No hepatic disease, including viral hepatitis

Renal:

• Creatinine less than 2.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular:

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

Pulmonary:

• No asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Immunologic:

• Must have positive intradermal delayed hypersensitivity test for at least 1 of the following:

  • Candida
  • Mumps
  • Tetanus
  • Trichophyton
  • Histoplasmin

• No prior autoimmune disease including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Scleroderma
  • Multiple sclerosis

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• HIV negative
• Hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C antibody negative
• No other concurrent serious chronic or acute illness or infection (including urinary tract infection)
• No known shellfish or iodine allergy
• No other prior or concurrent malignancy except for nonmelanoma skin cancer, cervical cancer, or controlled superficial bladder cancer
• No medical or psychological condition that may preclude study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No other concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Concurrent hormonal therapy allowed (tamoxifen, raloxifene, toremifene, and all aromatase inhibitors)
• At least 4 weeks since prior steroid or immunosuppressive therapy (e.g, azathioprine or cyclosporine)

Radiotherapy:

• Prior radiotherapy allowed except to cranium
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• At least 12 weeks since prior strontium chloride Sr 89
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

• At least 4 weeks since prior surgery and recovered

Other:

• Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed
• No prior hepatitis B immunization