Androgen Ablation With or Without Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Advanced Prostate Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate
• Meets one of the following criteria
• Metastatic disease
• Systemic progressive disease after locoregional therapy (surgery or radiotherapy)
• No metastatic disease AND meets one of the following criteria:
• Circulating PSA levels ≥ 50 ng/mL (confirmed by ≥ 2 subsequent evaluations)
• Biochemical progression with a PSA doubling time < 6 months (with ≥ 3 measurements taken 1 month apart) after primary locoregional treatment (radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy) with curative intent
• Prostate-confined tumor with high-risk features whose therapy of choice is androgen deprivation
• No symptomatic brain metastases or leptomeningeal disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• ECOG or Zubrod performance status 0-2
• Life expectancy ≥ 6 months
• ANC ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL
• Bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• AST/ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL
• No active infection requiring IV antibiotics
• No active ulcer, unstable diabetes mellitus, or other contraindication to corticotherapy
• None of the following cardiovascular conditions:
• Uncompensated heart failure (ejection fraction < 40%)
• Myocardial infarction or revascularization procedure within the past 6 months
• Unstable angina pectoris
• Uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia
• No other severe clinical condition that, in the judgment of the local investigator, would place the patient at undue risk or interfere with the study
• Not a prisoner
• No prior malignancy, except for non-melanoma skin cancer, in situ cervical carcinoma, or other cancer that was curatively treated with no evidence of disease for ≥ 5 years
• No familial, social, or geographical condition or significant neurologic or psychiatric disorder that would preclude understanding or rendering informed consent or fully complying with study treatment and follow-up

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• At least 5 years since prior radiotherapy outside the prostate
• Prior hormonal therapy allowed provided it was administered for ≤ 6 months
• At least 12 months since prior hormonal therapy
• More than 30 days since prior participation in another clinical trial involving investigational agents
• No prior surgical castration
• Concurrent androgen deprivation for prostate cancer allowed provided it was started ≤ 3 months prior to initiation of study treatment
• Concurrent anticoagulant treatment allowed
• No other concurrent investigational drugs