Vorinostat and Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Unresectable or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

Inclusion criteria

* No known CNS metastasis * ECOG performance status 0-2 * Life expectancy \> 6 months * LVEF ≥ 45% * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm3 * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN OR creatinine clearance ≥ 50 mL/min * PT/INR ≤ 1.5 * Urine protein \< 1+ by urinalysis OR \< 1 g by 24-hour urine collection * Not pregnant * No nursing during and for 6 months after completion of study treatment * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception for 2 weeks prior, during, and for 6 months after completion of study treatment * No other currently active malignancy defined as \> 30% risk of relapse upon completion of anticancer therapy, except nonmelanoma skin cancer * No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to vorinostat (SAHA) * No hypersensitivity to Chinese hamster ovary cell products or other recombinant human antibodies * No evidence of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy * No active bleeding or pathological conditions that carry high risk of bleeding (i.e., tumor involving major vessels or known varices) * No ongoing, active infection * No New York Heart Association class II-IV congestive heart failure * No angina pectoris requiring nitrate therapy * No cardiac arrhythmia * No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * No history of cerebrovascular accident within the past 6 months * No uncontrolled hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) \> 160 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP \> 90 mm Hg on medication) * No history of peripheral vascular disease * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * No other uncontrolled illness * No serious nonhealing wound, ulcer, or bone fracture * No history of abdominal fistula, gastrointestinal perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within the past 28 days * No significant traumatic injury in the past 28 days * At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery or open biopsy * More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * At least 2 weeks since prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor * Prior palliative radiotherapy to metastatic lesions allowed provided ≥ 1 measurable and/or evaluable lesion has not been irradiated * No more than 2 prior systemic treatments for metastatic disease, including immunotherapy, receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, chemotherapy, or investigational therapy * No prior therapy with bevacizumab, vascular endothelial growth factor-trap, or histone deacetylase inhibitors, including valproic acid * No core biopsy within 1 week prior to day 1 of study treatment * No planned major surgery during study treatment * No concurrent combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive patients * No other concurrent investigational agents * Concurrent stable-dose prophylactic anticoagulation (i.e., warfarin or low molecular weight heparin) allowed provided requirements for INR are met * Histologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma, clear cell component, unresectable or metastatic disease (patients with a primary tumor in place who are eligible for surgery are strongly encouraged to undergo a nephrectomy prior to study entry to increase potential survival) * Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm with spiral CT scan * The following histologies are not allowed: * Papillary, sarcomatoid carcinoma * Chromophobe carcinoma * Oncocytoma * Collecting duct tumor * Transitional cell carcinoma * WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3