Interleukin-7 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma or Locally Advanced or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following:

  * Melanoma

    * Metastatic disease
  * Renal cell carcinoma

    * Locally advanced and unresectable disease OR metastatic disease
* Refractory to standard therapy OR ineligible to receive standard therapy
* Measurable or evaluable disease
* Previously received high-dose interleukin-2 OR have a contraindication for this treatment
* No previously untreated or unstable brain metastases
* No splenic metastasis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-2
* Life expectancy ≥ 3 months
* Absolute neutrophil count \> 1,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* PT/PTT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Creatinine \< 1.5 times ULN
* AST and ALT \< 2.5 times ULN
* Conjugated (Direct) bilirubin ≤ 1.25 times ULN
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* LVEF ≥ 45% by cardiac stress test (e.g., stress thallium, stress MUGA, dobutamine echocardiogram, or other stress test) for patients meeting any of the following criteria:

  * History of ECG abnormalities
  * Symptoms of cardiac ischemia
  * At least 50 years of age and over
  * Familial or personal history of heart failure
  * Previously treated with antimitotic agents susceptible to trigger heart failure
* FEV\_1 \> 60% of predicted (for patients with a prolonged smoking history or symptoms of respiratory dysfunction)
* No concurrent cognitive impairment or likelihood of developing cognitive impairment on study therapy
* No concurrent splenomegaly or proliferative hematologic disease
* No documented HIV positivity
* No acute hepatitis A or hepatitis B or C

  * Positive hepatitis B serology indicative of previous immunization (i.e., HBs Ab positive and HBc Ab negative) allowed
  * Positive hepatitis C serology allowed provided HCV RNA load by PCR is negative
* Resting blood pressure ≤ 140/90 mm Hg on standard antihypertensive therapy

  * Untreated hypertensive patients who received standard antihypertensive therapy allowed provided hypertension is well controlled
* No QTc prolongation ≥ 470 msec
* No prior history of cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, or significant ECG abnormalities
* No active infection requiring systemic treatment and/or hospitalization within the past 28 days

  * Patients who have completed therapy or are clinically stable on therapy, in the opinion of the investigator, are eligible
* No history of autoimmune disease
* No history of severe asthma
* No history of medical or psychiatric disease that would preclude study treatment
* No documented cirrhosis or documented acute hepatitis

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* More than 2 weeks since prior systemic corticosteroid therapy
* More than 4 weeks since prior and no other concurrent cytotoxic therapy, immunotherapy, biological agents (i.e., cytokines, growth factors, or monoclonal antibodies), or antitumor vaccines
* More than 7 days since prior hepatotoxic drugs unless medically necessary
* More than 2 days since prior alcohol consumption
* More than 1 day since prior acetaminophen use
* No prior splenectomy
* No prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or solid organ transplantation
* No concurrent palliative therapy
* No concurrent chemotherapy
* No concurrent chronic anticoagulation (i.e., high-dose warfarin or heparin)

  * Warfarin dose 1 to 2 mg/day allowed
* No concurrent chronic medications for asthma
* No other concurrent investigational agents