Sunitinib and Surgery in Treating Patients With Localized or Metastatic Kidney Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Newly diagnosed renal cell carcinoma * Clinical stage T1b, T2, or T3 tumor with or without nodal or hematogenous metastasis * Localized or metastatic disease by renal biopsy * Primary tumor must be amenable to surgical removal * No history of or known spinal cord compression or carcinomatous meningitis OR evidence of symptomatic brain or leptomeningeal disease by CT scan or MRI * Treated, stable, and asymptomatic brain metastases are allowed PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * ECOG performance status 0-1 * ANC ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelets ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (≤ 5 times ULN if liver function abnormalities are due to underlying malignancy) * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times ULN * Creatinine \< 2 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance \> 40 mL/min * Calcium ≤ 10.2 mg/dL * QTc interval \< 500 msec * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception during and for 3 (male)-6 (female) months after completion of study treatment * No serious intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, any of the following: * Clinically significant cardiovascular disease (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, myocardial infarction, unstable angina) * New York Heart Association ≥ class II congestive heart failure * Serious cardiac arrhythmia requiring medication * Peripheral vascular disease ≥ grade 2 * Psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements * None of the following conditions within the past 6 months: * Myocardial infarction * Severe/unstable angina * Coronary/peripheral artery bypass graft * Symptomatic congestive heart failure * Cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack * Pulmonary embolism * No ongoing cardiac dysrhythmias NCI CTCAE version 3.0 ≥ grade 2 * No hypertension that cannot be controlled by medications (i.e., diastolic blood pressure \> 100 mm Hg despite optimal medical therapy) * No known HIV positivity PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * Not specified