Sunitinib Before and After Surgery in Treating Patients With Stage IV Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma

  * AJCC stage IV disease
* Radiographic evidence of disease for which cytoreductive nephrectomy is deemed to be clinically indicated AND for which preoperative embolization is not deemed necessary by the surgeon
* No history or clinical evidence of brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* ECOG performance status 0-1
* WBC ≥ 3,000/mm³
* Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm³
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
* Serum creatinine ≤ 2.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN) OR serum creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min
* Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN (\< 3.0 times ULN in the presence of Gilbert's disease)
* AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 5.0 times ULN in the presence of liver metastases)
* INR ≤ 1.5\*
* PTT normal\*
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* No pre-existing thyroid abnormality with thyroid-stimulating hormone that cannot be maintained in the normal range with medication
* No hypertension that cannot be controlled by medications (i.e., diastolic BP ≥ 100 mm Hg despite optimal medical therapy)
* No ongoing cardiac dysrhythmias ≥ grade 2 (according to NCI CTCAE v3.0)
* No other concurrent malignancies
* No concurrent serious illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

  * Ongoing or active infection requiring parenteral antibiotics
  * Clinically significant cardiovascular disease (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, myocardial infarction, or unstable angina)
  * New York Heart Association class II-IV congestive heart failure
  * Serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication
  * Peripheral vascular disease ≥ grade 2 within the past year
  * Psychiatric illness/social situation that would limit compliance with study requirements NOTE: \*Patients who are taking warfarin must have documentation of an INR ≤ 1.5 and PTT normal prior to the initiation of anticoagulation to rule out a baseline coagulopathy

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* At least 2 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
* Prior radiotherapy to a symptomatic site of metastatic disease is allowed
* No prior systemic therapy
* No concurrent cytochrome P450 enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, or phenobarbital), rifampin, or Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)
* No other concurrent investigational agents