Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed collecting duct renal cell carcinoma

- Advanced locally recurrent or metastatic disease

- Not amenable to resection

- Measurable disease

- No active CNS metastases

- Patients with CNS metastases previously treated with surgical resection and/or
radiotherapy are eligible provided there is no evidence of disease progression
by head CT scan or MRI at 3 months after the completion of definitive therapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

- 18 and over

Performance status

- ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

- Not specified

Hematopoietic

- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3

- Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

- Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN

Renal

- Creatinine ≤ 2 times ULN

Other

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No peripheral neuropathy greater than grade 1

- No other prior malignancy except for curatively treated cancer from which the patient
has been disease-free for the length of time considered appropriate for cure of the
specific cancer

- No known hypersensitivity to Cremophor EL

- No active serious infection

- No other serious underlying medical condition that would preclude study therapy

- No dementia or significantly altered mental status that would preclude giving
informed consent

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

- No more than 2 prior biologic response modifier (BRM) regimens

- Regimens may have included interleukin-2 and/or interferon alfa

- At least 4 weeks since prior BRM therapy

Chemotherapy

- Not specified

Endocrine therapy

- Concurrent corticosteroids allowed

Radiotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- Prior radiotherapy allowed provided there is measurable disease that has not been
irradiated OR there is clear evidence of tumor progression in an irradiated site

- At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

- No concurrent external beam radiotherapy

Surgery

- See Disease Characteristics

- No concurrent major surgery

Other

- No other concurrent anticancer drugs