Biological Therapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Cancer

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