Genistein and Interleukin-2 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma or Kidney Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Documented histologically confirmed malignant melanoma or renal clear cell carcinoma
• * Metastatic disease
• At least 1 measurable lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension with longest diameter \> 20 mm using conventional techniques OR \> 10 mm with spiral CT scan
• * If the measurable disease is restricted to a solitary lesion, its neoplastic nature should be confirmed by cytology/histology
• * Clinical lesions will only be considered measurable when they are superficial (e.g., skin nodules or palpable lymph nodes)
• * The following are considered non-measurable lesions:
• * Bone lesions
• * Leptomeningeal disease
• * Ascites
• * Pleural/pericardial effusion
• * Inflammatory breast disease
• * Lymphangitis cutis/pulmonis
• * Cystic lesions
• * Abdominal masses that are not confirmed and followed by imaging techniques
• No CNS metastases by CT scan or MRI
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• ECOG performance status \< 2
• Life expectancy ≥ 4 months
• Serum creatinine \< 2.0 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance \> 50 mL/min
• Bilirubin normal
• Platelets \> 100,000/mm³
• WBC \> 3,500/mm³
• No evidence of congestive heart failure
• No symptom of coronary artery disease
• No serious cardiac arrhythmias
• A pretreatment cardiac stress test must be performed within 42 days of IL-2 treatment if any cardiac symptoms present (patients with documented ischemia on the pretreatment cardiac stress test will be excluded from the study)
• Adequate pulmonary reserve
• * FEV\_1 \> 75% of predicted
• Not pregnant or nursing
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Negative pregnancy test
• No known HIV-positive patients
• No evidence of active infection requiring antibiotic therapy
• No contraindication to treatment with pressor agents
• No significant medical disease which, in the opinion of the investigator, may interfere with completion of the study
• No history of another malignancy other than basal cell skin cancer within 5 years
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Recovered from all toxic effects of prior therapy
• No radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy in the 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the study treatment
• No systemic corticosteroids in the 4 weeks prior to treatment
• No previous investigational agent within 4 weeks prior to the start of the study
• No prior interleukin-2 therapy
• No organ allografts allowed
• No concurrent radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy
• No concurrent corticosteroids
• No concurrent chronic medication for asthma