Sequential ATRA Then IL-2 for Modulation of Dendritic Cells and Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed renal cell cancer
• * Stage IV disease
• * Histology with clear cell component
• Metastatic OR incompletely resected disease
• Non-measurable disease allowed
• Underwent complete or partial nephrectomy more than 90 days ago
• * No unresected primary cancer
• No more than 2 of the following adverse factors:
• * Hemoglobin \< 10.0 g/dL
• * Corrected calcium \> upper limit of normal (ULN)
• * Lactic dehydrogenase \> 1.5 times ULN
• * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 2
• Brain metastasis allowed provided more than 90 days of clinical and radiologic stability after the end of its active treatment
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Over 18
• Performance status
• See Disease Characteristics
• ECOG 0-2
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• See Disease Characteristics
• Hepatic
• See Disease Characteristics
• Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) \< 3 times normal
• Bilirubin \< 2 times normal
• Renal
• See Disease Characteristics
• Creatinine clearance \> 40 mL/min
• Cardiovascular
• None of the following cardiovascular conditions within the past year:
• * Uncontrolled hypertension
• * Myocardial infarction
• * Unstable angina
• * New York Heart Association class II-IV congestive heart failure
• * Serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication
• * Class II-IV peripheral vascular disease within the past year
• * Other clinically significant cardiovascular disease
• Immunologic
• No history of immunodeficiency disease
• No HIV infection
• No ongoing serious infection
• Other
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use two methods of effective contraception during and for 1 month (for women) or 6 months (for men) after study treatment
• Other prior malignancy allowed provided there is no evidence of active disease
• No other medical contraindication to tretinoin or interleukin-2
• No serious non-healing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• At least 60 days since prior immunotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• At least 60 days since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy
• See Radiotherapy
• No prior corticosteroids at \> physiologic replacement doses for \> 3 days within the past 90 days
• Concurrent tamoxifen, toremifene, megestrol, or gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists allowed
• Concurrent inhaled steroids allowed
• Radiotherapy
• More than 7 days since prior external-beam radiotherapy
• * No steroid requirement during radiotherapy
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 30 days since other prior debulking surgery
• Other
• Prior adjuvant therapy for resected, synchronous stage IV disease allowed
• Prior adjuvant therapy allowed
• * Study therapy is not to be used as adjuvant therapy for completely resected late (\> 1 year until identification) solitary site of disease metastasis or non-metastatic disease
• No prior participation in this clinical study
• At least 60 days since other prior anticancer drugs
• Concurrent seizure medication allowed