Interferon Beta in Treating Patients With Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma or Ocular Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed metastatic melanoma
• Cutaneous or ocular disease
• Measurable disease
• No active unstable CNS metastases by neurologic exam AND CT scan or MRI
• Irradiated and/or resected CNS lesions allowed if there is no evidence of disease by head MRI or CT scan for > 6 months after surgery and/or radiotherapy
• Patients with cutaneous metastases and previously irradiated and/or resected CNS metastases are eligible if the CNS metastases are controlled and do not require dexamethasone

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-1 (0-2 for patients with cutaneous metastases)

Life expectancy

• At least 3 months

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,200/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.5 g/dL

Hepatic

• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• AST ≤ 3.0 times normal
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times normal (10 times normal if due to bone metastases)
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

• No serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring treatment
• No congestive heart failure
• No angina pectoris
• No New York Heart Association class II-IV heart disease
• No other severe cardiovascular disease

Other

• HIV negative
• No other malignancy within the past 3 years except basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix
• No history of seizure disorder
• No severe psychiatric disorder
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• More than 12 months since prior adjuvant interferon alfa-2 (IFNα-2) therapy
• More than 30 days since prior IFNα-2 therapy for metastatic disease (6 months for patients with cutaneous metastases)
• No more than 1 prior systemic regimen (chemotherapy or biologic) for metastatic disease (3 regimens for patients with cutaneous metastases)

Chemotherapy

• See Biologic therapy
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• Concurrent replacement therapy with physiologic doses of corticosteroids allowed
• No concurrent dexamethasone or other steroidal antiemetics or anti-inflammatories
• No other concurrent hormonal agents except steroids administered for preexisting adrenal failure or hormones administered for non-disease-related conditions (e.g., insulin for diabetes)

Radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 28 days since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• No concurrent palliative radiotherapy

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior organ allograft
• More than 28 days since prior major surgery requiring general anesthesia

Other

• More than 28 days since prior antibiotics for local or systemic infection
• No concurrent aspirin
• No concurrent barbiturates
• No other concurrent investigational agents