Docetaxel and Prednisone in Treating Patients With Hormone-Refractory Metastatic Prostate Cancer

You may be eligible if

• DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• Histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate
• * Metastatic disease by imaging or clinical examination
• Hormone-refractory disease, defined as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level \> 10 µg/L AND rising between 2 sequential measurements
• Testosterone within castration levels by orchiectomy or medical castration comprising luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Over 18
• Performance status
• WHO 0-2
• Life expectancy
• Not specified
• Hematopoietic
• Neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 11.0 g/dL
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hepatic
• ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin normal
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 6 times ULN (unless due to the presence of extensive bone disease)
• No serious liver disease
• Renal
• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN
• Cardiovascular
• No ischemic or thromboembolic cardiac disease
• No myocardial infarction within the past 12 months
• No other serious cardiac disease
• Pulmonary
• No pulmonary emboli
• Immunologic
• No active infection
• No autoimmune disease, including any of the following:
• * Lupus
• * Scleroderma
• * Rheumatoid polyarthritis
• Other
• No active peptic ulcer
• No unstable diabetes mellitus
• No contraindication to corticosteroids
• No other malignant disease within the past 5 years except basalioma
• No functional iron deficiency (i.e., transferrin saturation \< 20%) that cannot be treated with iron supplementation
• No other serious illness or medical condition
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• Biologic therapy
• More than 2 months since prior recombinant human epoetin alfa or any other erythropoiesis-stimulating drug
• Chemotherapy
• At least 3 weeks since prior estramustine
• Endocrine therapy
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 3 weeks since prior antiandrogen treatment
• Concurrent chemical castration with LHRH allowed provided patient has begun treatment prior to study entry
• * No initiation of chemical castration therapy during study treatment
• Radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to \> 25% of bone marrow
• No prior radioisotope therapy
• Concurrent local palliative radiotherapy for pain allowed
• Surgery
• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior surgery
• Other
• No other prior cytostatic treatment
• Concurrent bisphosphonates allowed provided patient has begun treatment prior to study entry
• * No initiation of bisphosphonates during study treatment