OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the pathologic complete response rate to docetaxel in patients with high risk stage II or III prostate cancer. II. Determine the toxicity of this treatment in these patients. III. Correlate clinical measures of response (e.g., symptoms, physical exam, serum PSA, and endorectal MRI) with pathologic response to this treatment in these patients.
OUTLINE: Patients receive docetaxel IV over 30 minutes weekly for 4 weeks. Treatment continues for 2-6 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 19-45 patients will be accrued for this study over 18 months.
