Paclitaxel and Carboplatin in Treating Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically confirmed collecting duct renal cell carcinoma

Advanced locally recurrent or metastatic disease
Not amenable to resection
Measurable disease

No active CNS metastases

Patients with CNS metastases previously treated with surgical resection and/or radiotherapy are eligible provided there is no evidence of disease progression by head CT scan or MRI at 3 months after the completion of definitive therapy

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

18 and over

Performance status

ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

Not specified

Hematopoietic

WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3
Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

Hepatic

Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN

Renal

Creatinine ≤ 2 times ULN

Other

Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception
No peripheral neuropathy greater than grade 1
No other prior malignancy except for curatively treated cancer from which the patient has been disease-free for the length of time considered appropriate for cure of the specific cancer
No known hypersensitivity to Cremophor EL
No active serious infection
No other serious underlying medical condition that would preclude study therapy
No dementia or significantly altered mental status that would preclude giving informed consent

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

No more than 2 prior biologic response modifier (BRM) regimens

Regimens may have included interleukin-2 and/or interferon alfa
At least 4 weeks since prior BRM therapy

Chemotherapy

Not specified

Endocrine therapy

Concurrent corticosteroids allowed

Radiotherapy

See Disease Characteristics
Prior radiotherapy allowed provided there is measurable disease that has not been irradiated OR there is clear evidence of tumor progression in an irradiated site
At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
No concurrent external beam radiotherapy

Surgery

See Disease Characteristics
No concurrent major surgery

Other

No other concurrent anticancer drugs