Atrasentan in Treating Patients With Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed locally recurrent or metastatic renal cell carcinoma that is not amenable to resection
* Progressive disease, defined by 1 of the following:

  * The appearance of 1 or more new lesions
  * At least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameters of the target lesions (taking as a reference the smallest sum of the longest diameters recorded since the baseline measurements) (measurable disease stratum closed to accrual as of 7/16/04.)
* One of the following disease characteristics:

  * Disease manifested solely by bone metastases
  * At least 1 measurable lesion (measurable disease stratum closed to accrual as of 7/16/04.)

    * At least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR at least 10 mm by spiral CT scan
* No prior or concurrent brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* WBC at least 2,000/mm\^3 OR
* Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL
* AST and/or ALT less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

Renal:

* Creatinine less than 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular:

* No history of New York Heart Association class II-IV heart disease

Pulmonary:

* No significant pulmonary disease requiring pulse steroid therapy within the past 3 months

Other:

* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* No other serious concurrent medical illness that would preclude study participation
* No active infection
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy/immunotherapy and recovered
* No more than 1 prior regimen\* of biologic therapy/immunotherapy (e.g., interleukin-2, interferon, thalidomide, or combination)

  * Prior sargramostim (GM-CSF) is not counted as prior biological therapy NOTE: \*A regimen is considered to be at least 4 weeks of treatment

Chemotherapy:

* No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior hormonal agents (e.g., megestrol or tamoxifen) and recovered

Radiotherapy:

* At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* Prior radiotherapy for local control or palliation of painful bony lesion allowed
* No prior radiotherapy to target lesions
* No concurrent radiotherapy for palliation or any other indication

Surgery:

* At least 4 weeks since prior surgery and recovered
* Prior nephrectomy allowed

Other:

* Prior bisphosphonates allowed