Pentostatin Followed by Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation in Treating Patients With Advanced Kidney Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

* Determine the duration and efficiency of hematopoietic and immunologic engraftment in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma treated with pentostatin followed by related allogeneic stem cell transplantation. * Determine the hematologic and non-hematologic toxic effects of this regimen in these patients. * Determine the incidence and severity of graft-versus-host disease in patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of pentostatin.

* Phase I: Patients receive pentostatin IV on days -7, -5, and -3 followed by allogeneic stem cell transplantation on day 0. Beginning on day 1, patients receive filgrastim (G-CSF) IV over 1 hour or subcutaneously daily until blood counts recover. As graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, patients receive cyclosporine IV continuously until stem cell engraftment and then orally with gradual tapering.

Cohorts of 3 to 6 patients receive escalating doses of pentostatin until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose at which 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity.

* Phase II: Patients receive treatment as in phase I at the MTD for pentostatin. Patients are followed weekly for 60 days and then monthly for 10 months.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 24 patients (12 per phase) will be accrued for this study.