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

You may be eligible if

• 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