Study in Predicting Outcome of Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

OBJECTIVES: * Correlate serum and urine protein profiles collected before or after radiotherapy with clinical outcome in patients with prostate cancer. * Identify protein profiles that can distinguish between patients with no evidence of disease and those with biochemical and/or clinical failure. * Determine whether those serum proteomic profiles consistent with failure can be identified at early time points in the course of treatment and follow-up of these patients. OUTLINE: Patients are stratified according to clinical outcome (prior to radiotherapy vs no evidence of disease vs biochemical failure vs clinical failure vs clinical outcome not yet determined). Urine and blood specimens are collected from patients either before or after definitive radiotherapy. Samples are analyzed by surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to develop proteomic patterns. Results of proteomic profiles do not influence patient care. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 150 patients (30 per stratum) will be accrued for this study.