Interleukin-7 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Melanoma or Locally Advanced or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically confirmed diagnosis of 1 of the following:

Melanoma

Metastatic disease

Renal cell carcinoma

Locally advanced and unresectable disease OR metastatic disease
Refractory to standard therapy OR ineligible to receive standard therapy
Measurable or evaluable disease
Previously received high-dose interleukin-2 OR have a contraindication for this treatment
No previously untreated or unstable brain metastases
No splenic metastasis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

ECOG performance status 0-2
Life expectancy ≥ 3 months
Absolute neutrophil count > 1,000/mm^3
Platelet count > 100,000/mm^3
PT/PTT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
Creatinine < 1.5 times ULN
AST and ALT < 2.5 times ULN
Conjugated (Direct) bilirubin ≤ 1.25 times ULN
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception

LVEF ≥ 45% by cardiac stress test (e.g., stress thallium, stress MUGA, dobutamine echocardiogram, or other stress test) for patients meeting any of the following criteria:

History of ECG abnormalities
Symptoms of cardiac ischemia
At least 50 years of age and over
Familial or personal history of heart failure
Previously treated with antimitotic agents susceptible to trigger heart failure
FEV_1 > 60% of predicted (for patients with a prolonged smoking history or symptoms of respiratory dysfunction)
No concurrent cognitive impairment or likelihood of developing cognitive impairment on study therapy
No concurrent splenomegaly or proliferative hematologic disease
No documented HIV positivity

No acute hepatitis A or hepatitis B or C

Positive hepatitis B serology indicative of previous immunization (i.e., HBs Ab positive and HBc Ab negative) allowed
Positive hepatitis C serology allowed provided HCV RNA load by PCR is negative

Resting blood pressure ≤ 140/90 mm Hg on standard antihypertensive therapy

Untreated hypertensive patients who received standard antihypertensive therapy allowed provided hypertension is well controlled
No QTc prolongation ≥ 470 msec
No prior history of cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, or significant ECG abnormalities

No active infection requiring systemic treatment and/or hospitalization within the past 28 days

Patients who have completed therapy or are clinically stable on therapy, in the opinion of the investigator, are eligible
No history of autoimmune disease
No history of severe asthma
No history of medical or psychiatric disease that would preclude study treatment
No documented cirrhosis or documented acute hepatitis

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

See Disease Characteristics
More than 2 weeks since prior systemic corticosteroid therapy
More than 4 weeks since prior and no other concurrent cytotoxic therapy, immunotherapy, biological agents (i.e., cytokines, growth factors, or monoclonal antibodies), or antitumor vaccines
More than 7 days since prior hepatotoxic drugs unless medically necessary
More than 2 days since prior alcohol consumption
More than 1 day since prior acetaminophen use
No prior splenectomy
No prior allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or solid organ transplantation
No concurrent palliative therapy
No concurrent chemotherapy

No concurrent chronic anticoagulation (i.e., high-dose warfarin or heparin)

Warfarin dose 1 to 2 mg/day allowed
No concurrent chronic medications for asthma
No other concurrent investigational agents