High Dose Interleukin-2 (IL-2) Therapy In "Lymphodepleted Primed" Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

OBJECTIVES: Primary * Determine the objective response rate in lymphodepleted patients with metastatic melanoma treated with cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, and high-dose interleukin-2. * Determine the feasibility of this regimen in these patients. Secondary * Determine the quality and quantity of lymphocyte recovery in these patients during and after treatment with this regimen. * Determine time to disease progression and survival in patients treated with this regimen. OUTLINE: This is an open-label, multicenter study. Patients receive lymphodepleting therapy comprising cyclophosphamide IV over 1 hour on days 1 and 2 and fludarabine IV over 30 minutes on days 3-7. Patients then receive high-dose interleukin-2 IV every 8 hours (14 doses) on days 8-12 and 22-26. Patients also receive sargramostim (GM-CSF) subcutaneously beginning on day 8 and continuing until blood counts recover. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed every 3 months. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 18-33 patients will be accrued for this study.