Atrasentan in Treating Patients With Locally Recurrent or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed locally recurrent or metastatic renal cell carcinoma that is not amenable to resection
• Progressive disease, defined by 1 of the following:
• * The appearance of 1 or more new lesions
• * At least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameters of the target lesions (taking as a reference the smallest sum of the longest diameters recorded since the baseline measurements) (measurable disease stratum closed to accrual as of 7/16/04.)
• One of the following disease characteristics:
• * Disease manifested solely by bone metastases
• * At least 1 measurable lesion (measurable disease stratum closed to accrual as of 7/16/04.)
• * At least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR at least 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• No prior or concurrent brain metastases
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• WBC at least 2,000/mm\^3 OR
• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin at least 9 g/dL
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL
• AST and/or ALT less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Renal:
• Creatinine less than 1.5 times ULN
• Cardiovascular:
• No history of New York Heart Association class II-IV heart disease
• Pulmonary:
• No significant pulmonary disease requiring pulse steroid therapy within the past 3 months
• Other:
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except curatively treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No other serious concurrent medical illness that would preclude study participation
• No active infection
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy/immunotherapy and recovered
• No more than 1 prior regimen\* of biologic therapy/immunotherapy (e.g., interleukin-2, interferon, thalidomide, or combination)
• * Prior sargramostim (GM-CSF) is not counted as prior biological therapy NOTE: \*A regimen is considered to be at least 4 weeks of treatment
• Chemotherapy:
• No prior chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• At least 4 weeks since prior hormonal agents (e.g., megestrol or tamoxifen) and recovered
• Radiotherapy:
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Prior radiotherapy for local control or palliation of painful bony lesion allowed
• No prior radiotherapy to target lesions
• No concurrent radiotherapy for palliation or any other indication
• Surgery:
• At least 4 weeks since prior surgery and recovered
• Prior nephrectomy allowed
• Other:
• Prior bisphosphonates allowed