Bortezomib in Treating Patients With Metastatic Kidney Cancer

Inclusion Criteria:

Histologically confirmed pure non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
Distant metastatic disease (Tx, Nx, M1)
Tumor expresses wild-type von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene/protein
Measurable disease on imaging scan (≥ 1 cm)
Brain metastases allowed provided they have been treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy and show no evidence of progression on cerebral CT or MRI scan 2 months following surgery and/or radiation therapy.
Life expectancy ≥ 3 months
Karnofsky performance status ≥ 60%
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use an acceptable method of contraception
No other major illnesses likely to limit survival
Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1, 000/mm^3
Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL (transfusion allowed)
Creatinine clearance ≥ 30 mL/min OR creatinine ≤ 2 mg/dL
ALT or AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered
More than 30 days since any other prior investigational drugs

Exclusion Criteria:

active CNS metastases
pregnant or nursing
myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure
uncontrolled angina
severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias
electrocardiographic evidence of acute ischemia or active conduction system abnormalities
Peripheral neuropathy ≤ grade 1
hypersensitivity to bortezomib, boron, or mannitol
history of a non-RCC malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell carcinoma of the skin
serious medical or psychiatric illness that would preclude study participation
prior cytotoxic chemotherapy for this cancer
other concurrent investigational therapy
concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or hormonal therapy