DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed metastatic renal cell adenocarcinoma, meeting 1 of the following criteria:

  • More than 1 metastatic site and good performance status (Karnofsky score 80-100%)

  • Sole metastatic site with Karnofsky score = 80%

    • Karnofsky 90% or 100% not eligible
  • No combination of several metastatic sites and liver metastases and a time interval from primary tumor to metastases of < 1 year
• Nonmeasurable disease and/or few numbers of lesions must be confirmed histologically and as progressive disease

• The following metastases are allowed:

  • Lung with or without mediastinum lymph nodes
  • Bone
  • Pleura (solid or liquid with positive cytology)
  • Thoracic lymph nodes
  • Abdominal lymph nodes
  • Superficial lymph nodes
  • Liver
  • Subcutaneous skin/tissue
  • Contralateral kidney
  • Nephrectomy site
  • Other organs

• Prior metastases allowed provided the following criteria are met:

  • Evidence of progressive disease within the past 3 months
  • Metastases evaluated by noninvasive methods

• No evidence of active brain metastases

  • Prior brain metastases allowed provided all of the following criteria are met:

    • Disease is stable
    • Reductive therapy (surgery or radiotherapy) completed at least 3 weeks prior to study entry
    • Metastases have not progressed (confirmed by CT scan or MRI)
    • No concurrent corticosteroids required

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• See Disease Characteristics
• Creatinine < 1.8 mg/dL
• Hematocrit ≥ 30%
• WBC ≥ 4,000/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 120,000/mm^3
• Bilirubin normal
• LVEF ≥ 50%
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No HIV positivity
• No severe infection requiring antibiotic therapy
• No chronic hepatitis
• No severe lung, liver or kidney condition that would preclude study treatment
• No hepatitis B surface antigen positivity
• No severe neuropsychiatric condition or epilepsy
• No serious thromboembolitic disorder
• No severe cardiac dysfunction (e.g., congestive heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, serious arrhythmia, or coronary disease)
• No other prior or concurrent primary malignancies except for basal cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No geographical, psychological, or familial condition that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• More than 6 weeks since prior wide-field radiotherapy
• No prior systemic chemotherapy
• No prior organ transplantation
• No prior cytokines
• No concurrent hormonal therapy
• No concurrent anticancer chemotherapy
• No concurrent corticosteroids
• No other concurrent immunotherapy
• No other concurrent investigational agents or therapies