Vaccine Therapy in Treating Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically proven metastatic breast cancer * Stage IV disease patients who have either been treated to maximal response or who have had high dose chemotherapy or a marrow ablative regimen (if they meet immunologic criteria and have not received more than 2 chemotherapy regimens for treatment of metastatic disease) * Patients with advanced stage disease who: * Received at least 1 standard chemotherapy regimen, but no more than 2, for treatment of metastatic disease * Refused chemotherapy * Refused or progressed despite hormonal therapy * Measurable or evaluable disease * Positive or negative for HLA-A2 * Must have superficial inguinal or axillary lymph nodes that are free of tumor involvement and are surgically accessible * No symptomatic or acutely life threatening tumor that is judged likely to require intervention with alternative modalities within 3 months * No brain metastases * Hormone receptor status: * Not specified PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: * 18 and over Sex: * Female Menopausal status: * Not specified Performance status: * ECOG 0 or 1 Life expectancy: * Not specified Hematopoietic: * WBC greater than 3,000/mm\^3 Hepatic: * Not specified Renal: * BUN less than 25 mg/dL * Creatinine less than 1.8 mg/dL Cardiovascular: * No ischemic or congestive cardiac disease requiring chronic medication * No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease * No evidence of ischemic change or ventricu…