Vaccine Therapy With or Without Fludarabine in Treating Patients With Stage IV Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma

  • Stage IV disease
• Received no benefit from standard therapy OR ineligible for standard therapy OR declined standard therapy

• At least 1 site of metastatic disease that can be surgically removed AND at least 1 site of metastatic disease than can remain in the patient (indicator lesion) after surgery

  • Total volume of the site or sites of disease to be surgically removed must be > 2.0 cm^3

• Unidimensionally measurable disease

  • At least 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan
• No brain metastasis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

• More than 6 months

Hematopoietic

• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 75,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL

Hepatic

• SGPT and SGOT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Hepatitis C antibody negative
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Creatinine clearance > 40 mL/min

Cardiovascular

• No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• No unstable angina pectoris
• No cardiac arrhythmia

Immunologic

• Coomb's test negative
• HIV-1 and -2 negative
• No active infection
• No unexplained fever (temperature > 100.5° F or 38.1°C)
• No lymphocytopenia
• No hypogammaglobulinemia
• No autoimmune disease or other immunocompromising condition that would preclude study participation
• No history of impaired immune response
• No history of tuberculosis OR positive PPD skin test
• No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar biological composition to study vaccine
• No history of allergic reaction to antibiotics

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 1 month after study participation
• No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study participation
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except resected basal cell carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No other concurrent illness

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy

Chemotherapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin)

Endocrine therapy

• At least 4 weeks since prior steroid therapy or steroid-containing compounds
• At least 2 weeks since prior topical or inhaled steroids

Radiotherapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics

Other

• More than 4 weeks since prior investigational agents
• More than 1 week since prior antibiotics
• No concurrent renal dialysis
• No concurrent anticoagulants
• No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies
• No other concurrent investigational agents