Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma with a component of clear cell
histology

- Metastatic disease

- Disease progression, as defined by RECIST criteria, after prior treatment with
sunitinib malate or bevacizumab

- Patients must have received ≥ 1 course (4 weeks) of sunitinib malate or ≥ 2
doses of bevacizumab AND have RECIST-defined objective progression during or
within 4 months after completing treatment with sunitinib malate or bevacizumab

- Measurable disease by RECIST criteria

- CNS metastases allowed provided patient has undergone prior surgery and/or
radiotherapy AND has no evidence of further CNS disease progression by CT scan or MRI
≥ 2 weeks after treatment of CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1 or Karnofsky PS 70-100%

- WBC ≥ 3,000/μL

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/μL

- Platelet count ≥ 75,000/μL

- Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN

- Creatinine ≤ 2.0 times ULN

- Negative pregnancy test

- No significant cardiovascular disease, including any of the following:

- Congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association class III-IV heart disease)

- Active angina pectoris requiring nitrate therapy

- Uncontrolled dysrhythmias

- Cardiovascular event within the past 6 months (e.g., transient ischemic
attack/cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, or vascular surgery)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- At least 2 weeks since prior systemic therapy, radiotherapy, or major surgery and
recovered

- No prior sorafenib tosylate

- No other concurrent investigational agents

- No other concurrent anticancer therapy

- No concurrent prophylactic growth factors