Hormone Therapy Compared With Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate that was continuously treated with androgen suppression
• Rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA), defined as PSA \> 5 ng/mL, rising on 2 consecutive measurements at least 4 weeks apart
• Gleason score 7 or higher and/or seminal vesicle involvement at diagnosis
• Patients previously treated with antiandrogen or glucocorticoid therapy must meet the following criteria:
• * Must show a continued rise in PSA after stopping antiandrogen (flutamide, bicalutamide, or nilutamide) or glucocorticoid (dexamethasone or prednisone)
• * At least 4 weeks continued rise in PSA after flutamide or nilutamide (6 weeks for bicalutamide)
• Testosterone less than 50 ng/dL
• * Patients who have not undergone surgical castration must continue primary androgen suppression to maintain castrate levels of testosterone
• No progressive or measurable local or metastatic disease (including bone metastases)
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age:
• 18 and over
• Performance status:
• ECOG 0-1
• Life expectancy:
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic:
• Granulocyte count at least 2,000/mm\^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic:
• SGOT no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal
• Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
• Renal:
• Creatinine no greater than 1.7 mg/dL
• Cardiovascular:
• No American Heart Association class III or IV heart disease
• No uncontrolled congestive heart failure
• No life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias
• Other:
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No other prior malignancy unless curatively treated and disease-free for appropriate time period for specific cancer
• No preexisting peripheral neuropathy greater than grade 1
• No known hypersensitivity to polysorbate 80
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy:
• Not specified
• Chemotherapy:
• At least 5 years since prior systemic chemotherapy
• Endocrine therapy:
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior hydrocortisone
• No prior ketoconazole
• Radiotherapy:
• At least 28 days since prior radiotherapy to primary site
• No prior palliative radiotherapy
• No concurrent radiotherapy
• Surgery:
• See Disease Characteristics
• Other:
• Recovered form prior therapy
• At least 7 days since prior parenteral antibiotics for active infection
• No concurrent digitalis
• No concurrent H\_2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors (arm I only)
• Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed provided they were initiated prior to study therapy