Vaccine Therapy and Imatinib Mesylate in Treating Patients With Chronic Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia

Chronic phase disease
Philadelphia chromosome positive disease

Disease in first complete hematologic response, defined by all of the following:

Complete normalization of peripheral blood counts with WBC < 10,000/mm^3
Platelet count < 450,000/mm^3
No immature cells (e.g., myelocytes, metamyelocytes, or blasts) in the peripheral blood

Persistent molecular evidence of disease

Detectable BCR-ABL transcript by quantitative polymerase chain reaction
Less than 2 log reduction in peripheral blood or bone marrow BCR-ABL transcripts levels compared to a standardized baseline
Must have received imatinib mesylate for > 1 year of which the last 3 months were at stable dose ≥ 300 mg/day

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Not pregnant or nursing
Fertile patients must use effective contraception
Negative pregnancy test
No known HIV
ALT or AST ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal
Oxygen saturation ≥ 93% at room air
No history of recent acute myocardial infarction
No history of unstable angina
No pulmonary decomposition requiring hospitalization within the past 3 months
No concurrent and/or uncontrolled psychiatric or medical condition that would preclude study compliance

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

See Disease Characteristics
No prior allogeneic stem cell transplantation
At least 2 months since other prior experimental therapy
At least 6 months since prior participation in another vaccine study
No concurrent systemic immunosuppressive medication