A synthetic peptide cancer vaccine consisting of human leukocyte antigen HLA-A1-restricted peptide derived from human melanoma antigen 3 (MAGE-3) with potential immunostimulating and antineoplastic activities. Upon administration, MAGE-3.A1 peptide vaccine may stimulate the immune system to mount a cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) response against tumor cells expressing MAGE-3, resulting in tumor cell lysis. MAGE-3, a tumor-associated antigen (TAA), is overexpressed by a variety of cancer cell types.