RATIONALE: Hyperthermia therapy may kill prostate cancer cells by heating them to several degrees above body temperature. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining hyperthermia with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells.

PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of hyperthermia plus radiation therapy in treating patients who have nonmetastatic advanced prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Evaluate the efficacy of hyperthermia and radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer.
• Evaluate the acute and long term toxicities of these therapies in this patient population.

OUTLINE: Patients are treated with external beam irradiation 5 days a week for a total of approximately 7 weeks. Hyperthermia treatment is given twice in the first 4 weeks of radiation therapy, preferably early in the course of radiation. Hyperthermia treatments are only given once a week. A transrectal ultrasound applicator is used to deliver the hyperthermia treatment.

Patients are followed every three months for 2 years, and every 6 months thereafter.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 65 patients will be accrued over 2 years.

• Procedure: hyperthermia treatment
• Radiation: radiation therapy

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven prostate cancer; stage T2a, T2b, or T3a disease as defined by 1997 (current) AJCC criteria
• No metastatic disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

• At least 5 years unless due to prostate cancer

Hematopoietic:

• WBC greater than 4000/mm3
• Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3
• Hematocrit greater than 30%

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

Cardiovascular:

• No myocardial infarction within past 6 months
• No unstable angina pectoris with medication
• Diastolic BP no greater than 100 mm Hg
• No pacemaker
• No congestive heart failure requiring medication
• No evidence of vasculopathy

Neurologic:

• No evidence of neuropathy

Pulmonary:

• No severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (FEV1 less than 50% of predicted or less than 1 liter)

Other:

• No prior or concurrent malignancy except nonmelanoma skin cancer
• No severe, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
• No severe cerebrovascular disease

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Up to 2 months of prior neoadjuvant hormonal therapy allowed

Radiotherapy:

• No prior pelvic radiotherapy

Surgery:

• Not specified

Other:

• No anti-arrhythmic drugs