PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Sex: Female Menopausal status: Not specified Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Neutrophil count at least 1,000/mm3 Platelet count at least 75,000/mm3 Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL Hepatic: SGOT or SGPT no greater than 2.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (less than 5 times ULN with liver metastases) Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 times ULN Renal: Creatinine no greater than 2.0 times ULN Cardiovascular: No significant cardiac disease No myocardial infarction within 1 year of study No uncontrolled arrhythmias No uncontrolled hypertension No congestive heart failure Pulmonary: Not specified Other: Not pregnant or nursing Fertile patients must use effective contraception Negative pregnancy test No prior malignancies within the past 5 years, except: Curatively treated nonmelanoma skin cancer Carcinoma in situ of the cervix No autoimmune disease (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis) No immunodeficiency disease (cellular immunodeficiencies, hypogammaglobulinemia or dysgammaglobulinemia, or hereditary or congenital immunodeficiencies) Controlled Type II diabetes allowed No clinically significant active infection No known allergy to shellfish No known allergy to soy beans and/or soy products