PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the dose of suramin and fluorouracil that would result in plasma concentrations of suramin between 10-50 uM in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer. (Phase I) II. Determine the objective response rate (complete response and partial response) in patients treated with this regimen. (Phase II) SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the preliminary efficacy of this regimen in these patients. (Phase I) II. Determine the pharmacokinetics of low-dose suramin in these patients. (Phase I) III. Determine the time to tumor progression and progress rate at 3 and 6 months in patients treated with this regimen. (Phase II) OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation phase I study followed by a phase II study. PHASE I: Patients receive suramin IV over 30 minutes and fluorouracil IV on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36. Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses suramin and fluorouracil until the dose level allowing 10-50 uM of suramin into the patient's blood is determined without 2 or more of 6 patients experiencing dose-limiting toxicity. PHASE II: Patients receive suramin and fluorouracil (at the dose level determined in phase I) as in phase I. In both phases, courses repeat every 8 weeks for up to 1 year in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients are followed for survival. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 36 patients will be accrued for this study.
Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed renal cell cancer * Metastatic disease * Measurable or evaluable disease * Measurable disease required for phase II * No untreated CNS metastasis or CNS metastases progressing ≤ 4 weeks after prior radiotherapy * Performance status - ECOG 0-1 * At least 12 weeks * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * Creatinine ≤ 1.8 mg/dL * Calcium ≤ ULN * No untreated hypercalcemia * No symptomatic congestive heart failure * No unstable angina pectoris * No cardiac arrhythmia * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must be surgically sterile or use effective contraception * No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus * No known severe hypersensitivity to suramin * No other concurrent uncontrolled illness * No active or ongoing infection * No active autoimmune disease * No neuropathy ≥ grade 2 * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or localized prostate cancer * No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF) * No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for renal cell cancer (phase II only) * No concurrent corticosteroid dose more than physiologic replacement levels * See Disease Characteristics * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * No concurrent radiotherapy * Recovered from prior oncologic or other major surgery * At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery * No concurrent surgery * Recovered from all prior anticancer therapy other than alopecia (chronic toxicity \< grade 2) * At least 4 weeks since prior systemic therapy * More than 30 days since prior investigational drugs * Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed
is designated in this study