Fluorouracil and Low-Dose Suramin as Chemosensitization in Treating Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell (Kidney) Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed renal cell cancer * Metastatic disease * Measurable or evaluable disease * Measurable disease required for phase II * No untreated CNS metastasis or CNS metastases progressing ≤ 4 weeks after prior radiotherapy * Performance status - ECOG 0-1 * At least 12 weeks * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 mg/dL * Creatinine ≤ 1.8 mg/dL * Calcium ≤ ULN * No untreated hypercalcemia * No symptomatic congestive heart failure * No unstable angina pectoris * No cardiac arrhythmia * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must be surgically sterile or use effective contraception * No uncontrolled diabetes mellitus * No known severe hypersensitivity to suramin * No other concurrent uncontrolled illness * No active or ongoing infection * No active autoimmune disease * No neuropathy ≥ grade 2 * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * No other malignancy within the past 5 years except basal cell skin cancer, carcinoma in situ of the cervix, or localized prostate cancer * No concurrent filgrastim (G-CSF) * No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for renal cell cancer (phase II only) * No concurrent corticosteroid dose more than physiologic replacement levels * See Disease Characteristics * At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * No concurrent radiotherapy * Recovered from prior oncologic or other major surgery * At least 4 weeks since prior major surgery * No concurrent surgery * Recovered from all prior anticancer therapy other than alopecia (chronic toxicity \< grade 2) * At least 4 weeks since prior systemic therapy * More than 30 days since prior investigational drugs * Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed