Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma

  * Stage III or IV disease involving invasions beyond Gerota's fascia, regional lymph node involvement, or distant metastases OR
  * Recurrent disease involving lymph node metastases or soft tissue nodules
* Measurable disease by anatomic-based radiological tests (unless no evidence of disease as documented by prior surgery)
* Planned resection of tumor to establish an autologous tumor cell line
* No active CNS metastases such as brain metastases, spinal cord compression, or leptomeningeal disease

  * Prior brain metastases or spinal cord compression allowed provided there is radiographic evidence of lack of progression and no requirement for pharmacologic doses of corticosteroids

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 16 and over

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

* At least 4 months

Hematopoietic:

* Hematocrit greater than 25%
* Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3
* No ongoing transfusion requirements
* No active blood clotting or bleeding diathesis

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
* Albumin at least 3.0 g/dL
* No significant hepatic dysfunction

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL
* No significant renal dysfunction

Cardiovascular:

* No underlying cardiac disease associated with New York Heart Association class III or IV heart function
* No unstable angina related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Other:

* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except carcinoma in situ, basal cell or localized squamous cell skin cancer, or localized prostate cancer
* No active infection
* No other active medical condition that could be eminently life threatening
* Not pregnant
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* Other prior putative vaccines allowed
* Recovered from prior biologic therapy
* No concurrent biologic therapy except epoetin alfa for patients with hematocrit less than 36%

Chemotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
* No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No concurrent corticosteroids

Radiotherapy:

* At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy (including whole-brain radiotherapy) and recovered
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from prior surgery

Other:

* Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed for patients with lytic bone metastases
* No concurrent digoxin or other medications designed to improve cardiac output
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy or investigational therapy