Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed renal carcinoma

- Stage IV disease with lung metastases

- Bidimensionally measurable lung metastases by CT scan

- Meets 1 or more of the following criteria:

- No change in disease status or progressive disease after prior aldesleukin
administration for 3 months or more

- Lung metastases after treatment with prior nephrectomy

- Patients with clear cell renal carcinoma must have undergone nephrectomy prior to
study entry

- Patients with progression of metastatic lung cancer after nephrectomy also must
have received interferon alfa for 3 months or more (prior to study entry)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status 0-1

- Life expectancy > 6 months

- Leukocyte count ≥ 3,000/mm³

- ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³

- Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

- AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times normal

- Serum creatinine ≤ 1.7 mg/dL

- LDH ≤ 1.5 times normal

- Not pregnant nor nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No active infection with hepatitis virus or HIV

- No poorly controlled heart failure or arrhythmia

- No hypercalcemia that require medication

- No C-reactive protein with an infectious disease that requires medication

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic therapy

- No prior bone marrow transplantation or organ transplantation

- No concurrent steroid therapy

- No concurrent antidepressant therapy