Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically proven metastatic renal cell carcinoma

- No brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

- Over 18

Performance status:

- ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

- At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

- WBC at least 3,500/mm^3

- Hematocrit at least 30%

- Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic:

- Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL

- AST and ALT no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

- Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR

- Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular:

- No uncontrolled hypertension

- No myocardial infarction within the past 8 weeks

Other:

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- No other prior malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanomatous skin cancer,
carcinoma in situ of cervix, prostate intraepithelial neoplasia, or superficial
bladder cancer

- No significant psychiatric disease

- No active infection

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

- No more than 2 prior biologic response modifier regimens

- No concurrent biologic therapy

Chemotherapy:

- No prior chemotherapy

- No other concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

- Not specified

Radiotherapy:

- Prior radiotherapy allowed if measurable disease is outside radiation port

- At least 28 days since prior radiotherapy

- No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

- Prior surgery allowed