DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed melanoma or renal cell cancer

  • Metastatic disease
• Must have previously received high-dose aldesleukin and have progressive disease (i.e., no response) or recurrent disease
• Measurable disease
• No tumor-reactive T cells available for cell transfer therapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-1
• Life expectancy ≥ 3 months
• Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3
• Absolute neutrophil count > 1,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin > 8.0 g/dL
• ALT and AST < 3 times upper limit of normal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.6 mg/dL
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL (3.0 mg/dL for patients with Gilbert's syndrome)
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception prior to, during, and for up to 4 months after completion of study treatment
• HIV negative
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Hepatitis C antibody negative
• No abnormal stress cardiac test (e.g., stress thallium, stress MUGA, dobutamine echocardiogram, or other stress test) in patients ≥ 50 years of age OR in patients with a history of EKG abnormalities, symptoms of cardiac ischemia, or arrhythmia
• FEV_1 ≥ 60% predicted by pulmonary function test in patients with a prolonged history of cigarette smoking or symptoms of respiratory dysfunction

• No known toxicity during prior aldesleukin administration that would preclude redosing with aldesleukin, including any of the following:

  • Myocardial infarction
  • Mental status change requiring intubation
  • Bowel perforation
  • Renal failure requiring dialysis
• No active systemic infection
• No coagulation disorders
• No autoimmune disease (e.g., autoimmune colitis or Crohn's disease)

• No other major medical illness of the cardiovascular, respiratory, or immune system, as evidenced by any of the following:

  • Positive stress thallium or comparable test
  • Myocardial infarction
  • Cardiac arrhythmias
  • Obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• At least 4 weeks since prior systemic therapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)
• No concurrent steroid therapy