Capecitabine and Gemcitabine in Treating Patients With Metastatic Kidney Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma
• * Clinically confirmed metastatic disease (histologic documentation of metastatic disease not required)
• Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinomas allowed
• No pure sarcomas
• No collecting duct (duct of Bellini) tumors, oncocytomas, or transitional cell tumors
• Measurable disease
• * At least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR
• * At least 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• * Nonmeasurable lesions include the following:
• * Bone lesions
• * Leptomeningeal disease
• * Ascites
• * Pleural/pericardial effusion
• * Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonis
• * Abdominal masses that are not confirmed and followed by imaging techniques
• * Cystic lesions
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• 18 and over
• Performance status
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal
• Renal
• Creatinine clearance at least 30 mL/min
• Cardiac
• No clinically significant cardiac disease
• No congestive heart failure
• No symptomatic coronary artery disease
• No cardiac arrhythmias not well controlled with medication
• No myocardial infarction within the past 12 months
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception during and for 3 months after study
• No prior severe reaction to fluoropyrimidine therapy or known sensitivity to fluorouracil
• No malabsorption syndrome or lack of physical integrity of the upper gastrointestinal tract that would preclude absorption of capecitabine
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy
• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• No prior gemcitabine
• No prior fluoropyrimidines (e.g., fluorouracil, floxuridine, capecitabine, or fluorouracil-uracil)
• No other concurrent chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior megestrol
• No concurrent hormones (e.g., megestrol) except steroids for adrenal failure, hormones for nondisease-related conditions (e.g., insulin for diabetes), or intermittent dexamethasone as an antiemetic
• Radiotherapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
• Prior radiotherapy to any lesion that may produce disability (e.g., unstable femur) allowed
• No concurrent palliative radiotherapy
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery and recovered
• Other
• Any number of prior regimens allowed