Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma with a component of clear cell or
papillary carcinoma

- Unresectable or metastatic disease (radiologically or clinically confirmed)

- Measurable disease (≥ 1 site)

- No known brain metastasis that has not been adequately treated with radiotherapy
and/or surgery

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status 0-2

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

- No grade 3 hemorrhage within the past 4 weeks

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

- AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (< 5 times ULN if due to underlying disease)

- No chronic liver disease (i.e., chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis)

- Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

- None of the following cardiovascular conditions within the past 12 months:

- Myocardial infarction

- Severe/unstable angina

- Coronary/peripheral artery bypass graft

- Symptomatic congestive heart failure

- Cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack

- Pulmonary embolism

- Ongoing cardiac dysrhythmia ≥ grade 2

- Atrial fibrillation of any grade

- Prolongation of the QTc interval to > 450 msec for males or to > 470 msec for
females

- LVEF normal by MUGA or echocardiogram

- No hypertension uncontrolled with medical therapy

- No other active malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell skin cancer or
cervical carcinoma in situ

- No uncontrolled adrenal insufficiency

- No uncontrolled hypothyroidism

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after
completion of study treatment

- No severe and/or uncontrolled medical disease (i.e., uncontrolled diabetes, chronic
renal disease, or active uncontrolled infection)

- No impaired gastrointestinal (GI) function or GI disease that may significantly alter
the absorption of study drugs

- No other severe acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition or laboratory
abnormality that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- More than 4 weeks since prior major surgery

- More than 4 weeks since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or
mitomycin C)

- More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

- No prior radiotherapy to > 25% of the bone marrow

- More than 28 days since prior investigational agents

- No prior sunitinib malate

- No prior anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapy (e.g., erlotinib
hydrochloride, panitumumab, cetuximab, or gefitinib)

- No concurrent therapeutic warfarin

- Low-dose oral warfarin ≤ 2 mg daily for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis is
allowed after the maximum tolerated dose of erlotinib hydrochloride is
determined

- No concurrent Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)

- No concurrent chemotherapy or biologic therapy

- No other concurrent anticancer therapy

- No other concurrent investigational agents