DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed clear cell kidney cancer, meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  • Measurable metastatic disease
  • Locally unresectable disease
• No history of known brain metastases that have not been adequately treated with radiotherapy and/or surgery
• Must have received ≥ 1 prior systemic therapy for metastatic or unresectable renal cell carcinoma

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-2
• Absolute neutrophil count > 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count > 100,000/mm³
• Hemoglobin > 8 g/dL
• Bilirubin < 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT and SGPT < 2.5 times ULN
• Creatinine < 1.5 times ULN
• No New York Heat Association grade III-IV cardiac disease
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell skin cancer, cervical carcinoma in situ, or insignificant or inactive disease
• No chronic liver disease (i.e., chronic active hepatitis or cirrhosis)
• No severe or uncontrolled medical disease
• No gastrointestinal disease or impairment that would hinder the absorption of everolimus
• No uncontrolled diabetes
• No chronic renal disease
• No active uncontrolled infection
• No congestive heart failure
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• More than 2 weeks since prior major surgery
• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosourea or mitomycin C)
• More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy
• More than 4 weeks since other prior investigational agents
• No prior radiotherapy to > 25% of bone marrow
• No prior treatment with an mTOR inhibitor
• No concurrent therapeutic warfarin