Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Relapsed Prostate Cancer

Criteria for Patient eligibility Inclusion criteria 1. Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate. 2. Prior primary therapy for prostate cancer, including radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy, or brachytherapy. 3. Serum PSA \> 0.2 ng/dL following 8 months of androgen deprivation therapy or a nadir PSA \>0.2 ng/dL and at least 1 subsequent PSA values at the same or higher level, if prior to 8 months. 4. Serum testosterone \< 50 ng/ml. 5. No evidence of metastases on bone scan. 6. No evidence of metastases on CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis. 7. ECOG performance status \< 2. 8. Laboratory criteria for entry: absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.2 K/cu mm, platelets ≥ 100 K/cu mm, serum bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN), SGOT and SGPT ≤ 1.5 times institutional ULN if alkaline phosphatase ≤ ULN, alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN if SGOT and SGPT are ≤ ULN, a serum creatinine ≤ 2 times institutional ULN. 9. Signed informed consent. Exclusion Criteria 1. A second active malignancy during the last 5 years, except adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer. 2. Life expectancy \< 3 months. 3. Grade 2 or higher peripheral neuropathy. 4. Prior investigational agent within the past 28 days. 5. Less than a 10% decrease (or continued rise) in PSA in response to initial androgen-deprivation therapy. 6. More than 12 months since initiation of androgen-deprivation therapy. 7. Prior docetaxel chemotherapy. 8. Patients recently (within 28 days) started on corticosteroids, with the exception of inhaled and topical steroids. Patients on stable doses of systemic corticosteroids will be eligible.