Gemcitabine With or Without Imatinib Mesylate in Treating Patients With Metastatic or Unresectable Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma

  * Metastatic disease OR unresectable primary tumor
  * No known curative therapy exists
* Documented progressive renal cell carcinoma as defined by RECIST criteria within the past 6 months
* Measurable disease with ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion
* No known symptomatic brain metastasis or untreated brain metastases or carcinomatous meningitis

  * Treated brain metastasis allowed provided the following criteria are met:

    * Clinically stable
    * More than 7 days since prior steroids

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy ≥ 3 months
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective nonhormonal contraception during and for 3 months after completion of study treatment
* Must be able to swallow oral medication
* No coexisting medical condition that would preclude study compliance
* No history of allergic reaction to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to gemcitabine hydrochloride and/or imatinib mesylate
* No uncontrolled illness that would preclude study participation
* No symptomatic congestive heart failure
* No unstable angina pectoris
* No cardiac arrhythmia requiring therapy
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
* No active infection
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except carcinoma in situ of the cervix or nonmelanoma skin cancer
* No New York Heart Association class III-IV congestive heart failure
* No known chronic liver disease (i.e., chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis)
* No known HIV positivity
* No significant history of noncompliance to medical regimens

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Recovered from all prior therapy
* No more than 3 prior treatment regimens, including any of the following:

  * No more than 1 prior cytotoxic therapy
  * Immunotherapy regimens comprising interferon and/or aldesleukin
  * Therapy with molecular targets
  * Any combination of the above treatments to a maximum of 3 total therapies
* No prior gemcitabine hydrochloride for metastatic disease
* No prior imatinib mesylate for metastatic disease
* More than 2 weeks since prior major surgery
* At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
* At least 3 weeks since prior anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy
* At least 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy

  * Must have evidence of ≥ 1 measurable target lesion outside the radiation fields OR radiologically confirmed disease progression within the radiation fields after completion of radiotherapy
* At least 28 days since prior and no other concurrent investigational or commercial agents, unless disease is rapidly progressing
* No concurrent therapeutic warfarin

  * Concurrent low molecular weight heparin or heparin allowed for therapeutic anticoagulation
  * Concurrent prophylactic warfarin therapy ≤ 1 mg daily to maintain catheter patency allowed
* No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF) for prevention of neutropenia
* No other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal cancer therapy, radiation therapy, or cancer surgery
* No concurrent routine use (i.e., daily or every other day) of systemic corticosteroid therapy (in supraphysiologic doses)
* No concurrent medication that would preclude study compliance