Adoptive Immunotherapy, Aldesleukin, and Zoledronate in Treating Patients With Stage IV Kidney Cancer and Lung Metastases

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the safety of adoptive immunotherapy comprising 2-methyl-3-butenyl-1-pyrophosphate-stimulated gamma delta (gd) T cells, zoledronate, and IL-2 after nephrectomy, especially with regard to the incidence and frequency of adverse events.
• Determine the duration of in vivo persistence of the transferred gd T cells in patients.
• Determine the doubling time of tumor growth before and after adoptive immunotherapy.
• Determine the tumor-size reducing effect of adoptive immunotherapy based on the Best Overall Response Chart.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo leukapheresis for the harvest of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs are stimulated with 2-methyl-3-butenyl-1-pyrophosphate and aldesleukin for 11 days. Patients then receive the expanded Gamma Delta T cells, aldesleukin, and zoledronic acid once a month for 6 months.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed for up to 1 month.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed renal carcinoma

• Stage IV disease with lung metastases
• Bidimensionally measurable lung metastases by CT scan
• Meets 1 or more of the following criteria:

• No change in disease status or progressive disease after prior aldesleukin administration for 3 months or more
• Lung metastases after treatment with prior nephrectomy
• Patients with clear cell renal carcinoma must have undergone nephrectomy prior to study entry

• Patients with progression of metastatic lung cancer after nephrectomy also must have received interferon alfa for 3 months or more (prior to study entry)

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG performance status 0-1
• Life expectancy > 6 months
• Leukocyte count ≥ 3,000/mm³
• ANC ≥ 1,500/mm³
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³
• Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• AST/ALT ≤ 2.5 times normal
• Serum creatinine ≤ 1.7 mg/dL
• LDH ≤ 1.5 times normal
• Not pregnant nor nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No active infection with hepatitis virus or HIV
• No poorly controlled heart failure or arrhythmia
• No hypercalcemia that require medication
• No C-reactive protein with an infectious disease that requires medication

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic therapy
• No prior bone marrow transplantation or organ transplantation
• No concurrent steroid therapy
• No concurrent antidepressant therapy