Interleukin-2 and Stem Cell Factor in Treating Patients With AIDS or AIDS-Related Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Diagnosis of HIV-1 by ELISA, Western blot, polymerase chain reaction, or other documentation
• •Must have had 1 of the following AIDS-defining illnesses:
• •* Opportunistic infection
• •* Opportunistic malignancy (excluding CNS involvement)
• •* CD4 T-cell count less than 200/mm\^3 (but currently greater than 20/mm\^3)
• •Receiving antiretroviral therapy
• •No concurrent Kaposi's sarcoma
• •* Prior Kaposi's sarcoma in complete response allowed
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •18 and over
• •Performance status
• •Karnofsky 80-100%
• •Life expectancy
• •Not specified
• •Hematopoietic
• •Absolute granulocyte count greater than 1,000/mm\^3\*
• •Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL\*
• •Platelet count greater than 50,000/mm\^3\* NOTE: \*Transfusions and growth factors allowed in order to increase or maintain counts
• •Hepatic
• •No major hepatic dysfunction evidenced by encephalopathy, ascites, or varices
• •Bilirubin no greater than 2 mg/dL
• •INR no greater than 1.5
• •Renal
• •Not specified
• •Cardiovascular
• •No prior angioedema
• •No uncontrolled hypertension (i.e., diastolic blood pressure greater than 115 mmHg)
• •No unstable angina
• •No New York Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• •No congestive heart failure
• •No coronary angioplasty within the past 6 months
• •No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
• •No uncontrolled atrial or ventricular cardiac arrhythmia
• •Pulmonary
• •No history of seasonal or recurrent asthma within the past 10 years
• •No concurrent asthmatic symptoms (e.g., wheezing) related to a current respiratory tract infection
• •Immunologic
• •No prior positive allergy test (skin or radioallergosorbent test) for insect venoms
• •No known allergy to E. coli-derived products
• •No prior anaphylactic events manifested by disseminated urticaria, laryngeal edema, and/or bronchospasm
• •Drug allergies manifested solely by rash and/or urticaria allowed
• •No recurrent urticaria (isolated episode of urticaria allowed)
• •No other active uncontrolled infection (including one with current symptoms of bronchoconstriction)
• •No fever of 38.2° C or higher
• •* Fevers due to B symptoms allowed
• •Other
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •No prior or concurrent CNS malignancy
• •No poorly controlled diabetes
• •No other significant nonmalignant disease
• •No other malignancy except those in stable partial response or stable complete response (no evidence of progressive disease for at least 8 weeks after therapy for the malignancy)
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •See Hematopoietic in Patient Characteristics
• •No prior stem cell factor
• •No concurrent interleukin-11 for thrombocytopenia
• •Chemotherapy
• •No concurrent chemotherapy for malignancy
• •Endocrine therapy
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy
• •Not specified
• •Surgery
• •Not specified
• •Other
• •No concurrent enrollment on any other protocol utilizing an investigational drug
• •No concurrent beta adrenergic blocking agents