Vaccine Therapy Plus Interleukin-12 in Treating Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer That Has Not Responded to Hormone Therapy

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate
• HLA-A2 positive
• Progressive measurable systemic disease
• * PSA at least 5 ng/mL with 2 consecutive rising PSA levels at least 1 week apart and no measurable disease OR
• * Objective evidence of disease progression by a 20% increase in the sum of longest diameter of all target lesions or evidence of new lesions by CT or bone scan regardless of PSA status
• * Lesions must be at least 1 cm to be considered measurable
• * Progressive systemic disease after discontinuation of anti-androgen therapy
• Previously treated with orchiectomy (testosterone less than 50 ng/mL) OR luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue therapy with or without anti-androgens
• * If on LHRH analogue therapy, must continue therapy during study
• Brain metastases allowed if previously treated, clinically stable, and weaned from prior corticosteroids
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• Over 18
• Performance status:
• Karnofsky 70-100%
• Life expectancy:
• At least 12 weeks
• Hematopoietic:
• Absolute neutrophil count greater than 1,500/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9 g/dL
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3
• No active gastrointestinal bleeding
• Hepatic:
• Bilirubin less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGPT normal
• Hepatitis B surface antigen negative
• Renal:
• Creatinine less than 1.5 times ULN
• Calcium less than 11 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular:
• No significant cardiovascular disease
• No cardiac arrhythmia requiring therapy
• Other:
• Fertile patients must use effective barrier contraception
• No intrinsic immunosuppression
• HIV negative
• No serious concurrent infection
• No psychiatric illness that would preclude study compliance
• No clinically significant autoimmune disease
• No uncontrolled peptic ulcer disease
• No history of inflammatory bowel disease
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy
• Chemotherapy:
• Not specified
• Endocrine therapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior flutamide
• At least 6 weeks since prior bicalutamide or nilutamide
• No concurrent systemic corticosteroids except physiologic replacement doses
• Radiotherapy:
• Not specified
• Surgery:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Other:
• No concurrent immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., cyclosporine)