OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the safety and dose limiting toxicity of an intravenous vaccine of autologous, cultured, dendritic cells pulsed with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) RNA in patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma expressing CEA. II. Assess the cellular immune response to the CEA protein. III. Assess the clinical and biochemical response to the treatment and the duration of such response.