Inclusion Criteria:

- Histologically or cytologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma of 1 of the
following subtypes:

- Clear cell

- Papillary, type I or II

- Chromophobe

- Collecting duct

- Medullary

- Metastatic, recurrent, or unresectable disease

- Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by
conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan

- No known active brain metastases requiring steroid or anticonvulsant therapy

- Patients with definitively treated brain metastases are eligible provided they
are not on steroids or anticonvulsants AND show no evidence of disease
progression for ≥ 3 months after completion of definitive therapy

- Performance status - ECOG 0-2

- At least 3 months

- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3

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

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

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

- AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

- Glomerular filtration rate ≥ 50 mL/min

- No symptomatic congestive heart failure

- No unstable angina pectoris

- No cardiac arrhythmia

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No ongoing or active infection

- No HIV positivity

- No peripheral neuropathy > grade 1

- No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance

- No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or
biological composition to study drug

- No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to agents containing Cremophor® EL

- No other active malignancy

- Curatively treated malignancies are allowed provided the risk of recurrent
disease at the time of study enrollment is < 20%

- No other uncontrolled illness

- More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin)
and recovered

- No prior tubule inhibitors, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

- Vinca alkaloids (e.g., vinblastine, vincristine, or vinorelbine)

- Taxanes (e.g., docetaxel or paclitaxel)

- Epothilones

- No other concurrent chemotherapy

- See Disease Characteristics

- No concurrent hormonal therapy except steroids for adrenal failure or
hypersensitivity prophylaxis or hormones for non-disease related conditions (e.g.,
insulin for diabetes)

- More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered

- No concurrent palliative radiotherapy

- No other concurrent investigational agents

- No other concurrent anticancer therapy