Fourteen patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were treated on a Phase II trial with imatinib. Eligible patients had histologically confirmed RCC, metastatic and measurable disease by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of at least 70%, life expectancy of more than 3 months, and adequate hematological, renal, and liver function. Imatinib was given orally at a dose of 400 mg bid. The most common toxicities were Grade II/III nausea (28%) and Grade II renal insufficiency (14%). All patients had tumor tested by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for KIT protein (CD117, DAKO). One tumor (7%) demonstrated strong, diffuse expression and the rest were negative. No complete or partial responses were observed in 12 evaluable patients treated with imatinib.