DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed renal carcinoma

  • Stage IV disease with lung metastases
• Bidimensionally measurable lung metastases by CT scan

• Meets 1 or more of the following criteria:

  • No change in disease status or progressive disease after prior aldesleukin administration for 3 months or more
  • Lung metastases after treatment with prior nephrectomy

• Patients with clear cell renal carcinoma must have undergone nephrectomy prior to study entry

  • Patients with progression of metastatic lung cancer after nephrectomy also must have received interferon alfa for 3 months or more (prior to study entry)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Karnofsky performance status 80-100%
• Life expectancy > 6 months
• Leukocyte count ≥ 3,000/mm³
• ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
• Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times normal
• Serum creatinine ≤ 1.7 mg/dL
• LDH ≤ 1.5 times normal
• Corrected calcium level ≤ 10.0 mg/dL
• C-reactive protein ≤ 0.4 mg/dL by standard quantification
• Not pregnant nor nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No active infection with hepatitis virus or HIV

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic therapy
• No prior bone marrow transplantation or organ transplantation
• No concurrent steroid therapy
• No concurrent antidepressant therapy