S0351, CNTO 328 in Treating Patients With Unresectable or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic or unresectable primary renal cell carcinoma
* Measurable disease

  * Soft tissue disease within a prior radiation field may be considered measurable disease provided all of the following are true:

    * Patient also has measurable disease outside of the irradiated field
    * Disease within the irradiated field has progressed since prior radiotherapy
    * Radiotherapy was completed more than 2 months ago
* Ineligible for high-dose interleukin-2
* No treated or untreated brain metastases

  * No history of brain metastases
  * Patients with clinical evidence of brain metastases must have brain CT scan or MRI negative for metastatic disease within 56 days prior to study entry

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Zubrod performance status 0-2
* Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min
* Bilirubin ≤ 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* SGOT ≤ 3 times ULN
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No more than 2 of the following:

  * Zubrod PS 2
  * Lactate dehydrogenase \> 1.5 times ULN
  * Hemoglobin \< lower limit of normal
  * Calcium \> 10 mg/dL
  * Absence of prior nephrectomy
* No uncontrolled intercurrent illness, including any of the following:

  * Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
  * Ongoing or active infection
  * Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  * Unstable angina pectoris
  * Cardiac arrhythmia
  * Psychiatric illness or social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements
* No HIV positivity
* No other prior malignancy, excluding the following:

  * Adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer
  * In situ cervical cancer
  * Adequately treated stage I or II cancer for which the patient is currently in complete remission
  * Any other cancer for which the patient has been disease free for 5 years

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* At least 28 days since prior tumor resection and recovered
* No prior immunotherapy or chemotherapy regimens with interferon (IFN) and/or interleukin-2 (IL-2) or the combination of IFN/IL-2
* No prior cytotoxic chemotherapy for renal cell cancer
* No prior murine or chimeric proteins or human/murine recombination products (i.e., other chimeric monoclonal antibodies)
* No concurrent radiotherapy or systemic therapy for renal cell cancer