DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma* of the prostate

  • Biopsy of a metastatic site allowed provided the tissue stains positive for prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
  • Indicator lesions need not be biopsy proven if the clinical presentation is characteristic
  • Nodal and/or visceral disease allowed NOTE: *Variant histologies (e.g., ductal carcinoma and small cell carcinoma) are allowed only for the phase I portion of the study

• Progressive androgen-independent disease, as evidenced by the following:

  • Testosterone ≤ 50 ng/dL OR prior bilateral orchiectomy

    • Patients must continue luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists to maintain castrate levels
  • Symptomatic progression OR rising PSA on two occasions, at least 1 week apart, with a minimum pretreatment PSA of 5 ng/mL
• Progressive disease after at least 1, but no more than 2, prior chemotherapy regimens for prostate cancer in the neoadjuvant or metastatic setting (phase II only)
• No CNS metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• Zubrod 0-2

Life expectancy

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic

• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 9.0 g/dL

Hepatic

• SGOT and SGPT < 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Bilirubin < 2 times ULN

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL OR
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 35 mL/min

Cardiovascular

• No clinical history of heart disease
• ECG normal OR
• Ejection fraction ≥ 45% by echocardiogram, MUGA, or ventriculography

Other

• No active or uncontrolled infection
• No significant psychiatric disorder that would preclude giving informed consent
• No grade 2 or greater peripheral neuropathy
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except superficial bladder cancer or basal cell skin cancer
• No other serious medical illness

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• More than 2 weeks since prior immunotherapy AND evidence of disease progression
• More than 2 weeks since prior antiangiogenesis therapy AND evidence of disease progression

Chemotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• No more than 2 prior chemotherapy* regimens for prostate cancer
• More than 3 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered
• Prior taxanes allowed NOTE: *Ketoconazole is considered chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 4 weeks since prior flutamide or nilutamide (6 weeks for bicalutamide) AND no evidence of response or disease progression since withdrawal
• No concurrent antiandrogens (e.g., flutamide, nilutamide or bicalutamide)

Radiotherapy

• More than 12 weeks since prior strontium chloride Sr 89

  • No more than 1 prior dose of strontium chloride Sr 89
• More than 3 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy to more than 15% of the bone marrow

Surgery

• See Disease Characteristics
• At least 2 weeks since prior surgery

Other

• More than 2 weeks since prior non-androgen mediated pathway therapy (e.g., epidermal growth factor receptor antagonists or farnesyl transferase inhibitors) AND evidence of disease progression
• More than 2 weeks since prior herbal or alternative medicines or PC-SPES AND evidence of disease progression