Ixabepilone in Treating Patients With Metastatic, Recurrent, or Unresectable Kidney Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma of 1 of the following subtypes: * Clear cell * Papillary, type I or II * Chromophobe * Collecting duct * Medullary * Metastatic, recurrent, or unresectable disease * Measurable disease, defined as ≥ 1 unidimensionally measurable lesion ≥ 20 mm by conventional techniques OR ≥ 10 mm by spiral CT scan * No known active brain metastases requiring steroid or anticonvulsant therapy * Patients with definitively treated brain metastases are eligible provided they are not on steroids or anticonvulsants AND show no evidence of disease progression for ≥ 3 months after completion of definitive therapy * Performance status - ECOG 0-2 * At least 3 months * WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3 * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN * Glomerular filtration rate ≥ 50 mL/min * No symptomatic congestive heart failure * No unstable angina pectoris * No cardiac arrhythmia * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No ongoing or active infection * No HIV positivity * No peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 * No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance * No history of allergic reaction attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biological composition to study drug * No history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to agents containing Cremophor® EL * No other active malignancy * Curatively treated malignancies are allowed provided the risk of recurrent disease at the time of study enrollment is \< 20% * No other uncontrolled illness * More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin) and recovered * No prior tubule inhibitors, including, but not limited to, any of the following: * Vinca alkaloids (e.g., vinblastine, vincristine, or vinorelbine) * Taxanes (e.g., docetaxel or paclitaxel) * Epothilones * No other concurrent chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics * No concurrent hormonal therapy except steroids for adrenal failure or hypersensitivity prophylaxis or hormones for non-disease related conditions (e.g., insulin for diabetes) * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered * No concurrent palliative radiotherapy * No other concurrent investigational agents * No other concurrent anticancer therapy