Bevacizumab and Aldesleukin in Treating Patients With Metastatic Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Kidney

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma (RCC) of clear cell histology with or without sarcomatoid features * Metastatic disease * No non-clear cell RCC (i.e., papillary, collecting-duct, or chromophobe) * Good- or intermediate-risk category as defined by having ≤ 2 of the following factors: * No prior nephrectomy * Karnofsky performance status \< 80% * Hemoglobin \< 12 g/dL * Corrected calcium \> 10.0 mg/dL * LDH \> 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Must have undergone a nephrectomy at least 28 days ago * Measurable or evaluable disease by RECIST * No significant effusions and/or ascites * No prior or concurrent brain or CNS metastasis PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-1 * Life expectancy of ≥ 3 months * WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.5 g/dL * Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * AST ≤ 5.0 times ULN * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 10 times ULN with bone metastasis) * Calcium ≤ 12 mg/dL * Urine protein:creatinine ratio ≤ 1.0 * INR ≤ 1.5 (unless receiving warfarin therapy) * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No uncontrolled seizure disorder * No known HIV positivity * No local or systemic infections requiring IV antibiotics within the past 28 days * No significant traumatic injury in the past 28 days * No serious non-healing wound, ulcer, or acute bone fracture * No evidence of bleeding diathesis or coagulopathy * No other malignancy except basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, carcinoma in-situ of the uterine cervix, or any malignancy treated with curative intent and in complete remission for \> 3 years * No history of serious systemic or severe cardiovascular disease, including any of the following: * Arterial thromboembolic event (including transient ischemic attack) * Cerebrovascular accident * Unstable angina * Myocardial infarction within the past 6 months * Uncontrolled hypertension (BP \> 160/110 mm Hg on medication) * Uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia * Congestive heart failure * Angina pectoris * NYHA class III-IV cardiovascular disease * Peripheral vascular disease ≥ grade II * No history of abdominal fistula and/or bowel or gastric perforation within the past 6 months * No history of other diseases, metabolic dysfunction, or physical or laboratory examination findings giving reasonable suspicion of a disease or condition that contraindicate the use of investigational drugs, or that might affect the interpretation of study results, or that render patient at high-risk for treatment complications PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * No prior organ allografts * No prior systemic therapy for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered * Radiotherapy for control of pain from skeletal lesions allowed within the past 28 days * More than 12 months since prior adjuvant therapy * More than 7 days since prior fine-needle aspirations or core biopsies * More than 28 days since prior and no concurrent major surgery requiring general anesthesia or open biopsy * No concurrent aspirin, corticosteroids (except at replacement doses), barbiturates, or other investigational agents