Sunitinib Before and After Surgery in Treating Patients With Metastatic Kidney Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Diagnosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Metastatic disease
Primary tumor is considered amenable to surgery
Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 lesion that can be accurately measured in ≥ 1 dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as > 20 mm by conventional techniques or as > 10 mm by spiral CT scan

No untreated brain metastases

Treated brain metastases allowed provided lesion has been stable on two consecutive CT or MRI scans separated by ≥ 2 months

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

ECOG performance status 0-2
Leukocytes ≥ 3,000/μL
ANC ≥ 1,500/μL
Platelet count ≥ 75,000/μL
Hemoglobin ≥ 8.5 g/dL
Total Bilirubin ≤ 2 times upper limits of normal (ULN)
AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN
Creatinine ≤ 2.5 times ULN
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception
Able to undergo nephrectomy and treatment with sunitinib malate
No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to sunitinib malate

No uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, any of the following:

Ongoing or active infection
Symptomatic congestive heart failure
Unstable angina pectoris
Cardiac arrhythmia
Psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

No prior systemic treatment with sunitinib malate
No other concurrent investigational agents
No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients
Concurrent medications or substances known to affect, or with the potential to affect, the activity or pharmacokinetics of sunitinib malate allowed at the discretion of the principal investigator