Vorinostat and Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Unresectable or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

* No known CNS metastasis
* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy \> 6 months
* LVEF ≥ 45%
* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm3
* Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min
* PT/INR ≤ 1.5
* Urine protein \< 1+ by urinalysis OR \< 1 g by 24-hour urine collection
* Not pregnant
* No nursing during and for 6 months after completion of study treatment
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception for 2 weeks prior, during, and for 6 months after completion of study treatment
* No other currently active malignancy defined as \> 30% risk of relapse upon completion of anticancer therapy, except nonmelanoma skin cancer
* No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to vorinostat (SAHA)
* No hypersensitivity to Chinese hamster ovary cell products or other recombinant human antibodies
* No evidence of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy
* No active bleeding or pathological conditions that carry high risk of bleeding (i.e., tumor involving major vessels or known varices)
* No ongoing, active infection
* No New York Heart Association class II-IV congestive heart failure
* No angina pectoris requiring nitrate therapy
* No cardiac arrhythmia
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
* No history of cerebrovascular accident within the past 6 months
* No uncontrolled hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) \> 160 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP \> 90 mm Hg on medication)
* No history of peripheral vascular disease
* No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
* No other uncontrolled illness
* No serious nonhealing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture
* No history of abdominal fistula, gastrointestinal perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within the past 28 days
* No significant traumatic injury in the past 28 days
* At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery or open biopsy
* More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin)
* More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
* At least 2 weeks since prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor
* Prior palliative radiotherapy to metastatic lesions allowed provided ≥ 1 measurable and/or evaluable lesion has not been irradiated
* No more than 2 prior systemic treatments for metastatic disease, including immunotherapy, receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, chemotherapy, or investigational therapy
* No prior therapy with bevacizumab, vascular endothelial growth factor-trap, or histone deacetylase inhibitors, including valproic acid
* No core biopsy within 1 week prior to day 1 of study treatment
* No planned major surgery during study treatment
* No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
* No other concurrent investigational agents
* Concurrent stable-dose prophylactic anticoagulation (i.e., warfarin or low molecular weight heparin) allowed provided requirements for INR are met
* Histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma, clear cell component, unresectable or metastatic disease (patients with a primary tumor in place who are eligible for surgery are strongly encouraged to undergo a nephrectomy prior to study entry to increase potential survival)
* Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm with spiral CT scan
* The following histologies are not allowed:

  * Papillary, sarcomatoid carcinoma
  * Chromophobe carcinoma
  * Oncocytoma
  * Collecting duct tumor
  * Transitional cell carcinoma
* WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3