Sunitinib Malate in Treating Patients With Locally Recurrent, Locally Advanced, Unresectable, or Metastatic Urinary Tract Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract meeting ≥ 1 of the following criteria: * Unresectable, locally recurrent disease * Locally recurrent disease must not be amenable to resection or radiotherapy with curative intent * Locally advanced or metastatic disease * No prior chemotherapy for advanced disease * Ineligible (unfit) for cisplatin-based chemotherapy due to creatinine clearance \< 60 mL/min but \> 30 mL/min * Measurable or nonmeasurable disease according to RECIST criteria * Measurable lesions that have been previously irradiated will not be considered target lesions unless increase in size has been observed following completion of radiation therapy PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * See Disease Characteristics * ECOG performance status 0-1 * Life expectancy \> 12 weeks * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/μL * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/μL * Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL * Total serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN (≤ 5 times ULN if liver function abnormalities are due to underlying malignancy) * Serum albumin ≥ 3.0 g/dL * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception during study therapy * No diagnosis of a second malignancy within the past 3 years except for adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervi…