S0114 Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Gastric, Prostate, or Ovarian Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically confirmed diagnosis of one the following:

Stage II-IV gastric cancer

Stage IIC-IV ovarian cancer in first complete remission

CA 125 normal and stable*
Grade III anaplastic astrocytoma

Stage IV (M1) prostate adenocarcinoma

No small cell variations

No biochemical progression after definitive surgery, defined by the following:

Prostate-specific antigen more than 0.4 ng/mL which remains elevated on 2 additional measurements at least 2 weeks apart after prostatectomy
Three consecutive rises in PSA, each at least 1 month apart after definitive radiotherapy
Must be receiving androgen blockade
PSA less than 5 ng/mL and stable*
Documented EGFRvIII expression in primary tumor
Must have received prior surgery and or chemoradiotherapy for disease (except prostate cancer patients) NOTE: *Stable defined as no increase over 2 measurements at least 28 days apart with the last measurement within the past 28 days

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

80 and under

Performance status:

Zubrod 0

Life expectancy:

Not specified

Hematopoietic:

WBC at least 3,000/mm^3
Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL

Hepatic:

SGOT no greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2.5 times ULN
No hepatitis

Renal:

Not specified

Other:

No other malignancy in the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or adequately treated stage I or II cancer in complete remission
No contraindication to receiving sargramostim (GM-CSF) or KLH-based vaccine products
No autoimmune disease
HIV negative
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

Not specified

Chemotherapy:

See Disease Characteristics
At least 1 month since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy
No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

See Disease Characteristics
At least 1 month since prior treatment dose corticosteroids
No concurrent corticosteroids

Radiotherapy:

See Disease Characteristics
No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

See Disease Characteristics

Other:

Recovered from all prior therapies
No concurrent enrollment on other phase I studies
No other concurrent immune modulators