RATIONALE: Celecoxib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Recombinant interferon alfa-2b may interfere with the growth of cancer cells and slow the growth of kidney cancer. Giving celecoxib together with recombinant interferon alpha-2b may kill more tumor cells and be an effective treatment for metastatic kidney cancer.

PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving celecoxib together with recombinant interferon alfa-2b works in treating patients with metastatic kidney cancer who have undergone surgery.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To estimate the objective response rate of interferon alpha plus celecoxib in metastatic RCC patients with 3+ COX-2 tumor immunostaining.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare cellular immune parameters in metastatic RCC patients with 3+ COX-2 tumor immunostaining to patients with < 1+ tumor immunostaining.

II. To evaluate the effect of celecoxib and interferon alpha therapy on cellular immune parameters in metastatic RCC patients with 3+ COX-2 tumor immunostaining.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive oral celecoxib twice daily and recombinant interferon alpha-2b subcutaneously, once daily, 5 times a week. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Criteria

• Patients must have histologically-confirmed metastatic renal cell carcinoma
• Patients must have 3+ (on a scale of 0 to 3+) COX-2 staining in >= 10% of the RCC tumor cells from baseline tumor tissue
• Patients must not have received any prior cytokine therapy for renal cell carcinoma
• Patients may have received any number of prior non-cytokine systemic therapies for metastatic RCC
• Patients must have undergone nephrectomy (radical or partial)
• All patients must be at least 2 weeks from prior systemic therapy, radiation or major surgery
• Patients must have measurable disease per RECIST criteria
• ECOG performance status 0 or 1
• Leukocytes >= 3,000/mL
• Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mL
• Platelets >= 75,000/mL
• Total bilirubin =< 1.5x institutional upper limit
• AST(SGOT)/ALT(SGPT) =< 2.5x institutional upper limit
• Creatinine =< 2.0x institutional upper limit
• No significant cardiovascular disease including congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association Class III or IV), active angina pectoris requiring nitrate therapy, uncontrolled dysrhythmias or recent cardiovascular event (defined as any of the following within the previous 6 months: TIA/CVA, MI, vascular surgery)
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document
• Patients with any untreated CNS metastases are excluded from this clinical trial; patients who have undergone surgery and/or radiation for CNS metastases are eligible for enrollment if they do not have CNS metastases that have not been treated, are at least 2 weeks from treatment of CNS metastases without evidence of CNS disease progression (stable CT scan or MRI) and are off steroids; all patients must undergo an MRI or infused CT scan of the brain prior to enrollment
• Patients may not be concurrently receiving any other investigational agents
• Pregnant women; women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test prior to enrollment and use adequate contraception while on study and for one month thereafter
• Concurrent systemic steroid therapy is prohibited (inhaled or topical steroids as well as physiologic replacement doses of steroids are permitted)
• Patients with a history of a severe allergic reaction (defined as a grade 4 rash, a reaction requiring steroids or epinephrine or any degree of airway compromise) to sulfonamide or sulfonamide derivatives drugs are excluded; this includes, but is not limited to, sulfonamide antibiotics such as sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfisoxazole and sulfacetamide and sulfonamide derivatives such as celecoxib, valdecoxib, diuretics (HCTZ, furosemide), sulfonylureas, dorzolamide and sumatriptan
• Karnofsky >= 70%