To assess the immunogenicity of tumor associated HLA-E in cancer patients, specifically in stage III and/or stage IV melanoma patients, sera obtained at weeks 0 and 4 after immunizing with the autologous tumor cells activated by IFN-gamma, were examined for the presence of both HLA-E antibodies and HLA-class Ia allelic reactivity. The gene discussed is HLA-E; the disease is melanoma.