Connecting Men, Families, Doctors, and other Medical Professionals to Clinical Trials for Prostate Cancer

        DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

        Inclusion criteria:

          -  Histologically proven diagnosis of prostate cancer progressing after prior radical
             prostatectomy as indicated by one of the following:

               -  Postoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) rising above 2.0 ng/mL

               -  Postoperative PSA rising above 0.2 ng/mL with a surgical tumor Gleason score of
                  9 or 10

               -  Postoperative PSA rising above 0.2 ng/ml with nodal disease

          -  Stage II-IV disease (T2 -T4, N0-N1)

          -  No distant metastases based on the following minimum diagnostic work up:

               -  History or physical examination within the past 8 weeks

               -  Bone scan negative for bone metastases within the past 4 months

               -  Abdominal imaging negative for metastases within the past 6 months

        Exclusion criteria:

          -  Biopsy evidence of M1 disease

          -  Presence of neuroendocrine features in any prostate cancer specimen

        PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

        Inclusion criteria:

          -  Zubrod Performance Status 0-1

          -  ANC >= 1,800 cells/mm³

          -  Platelet count >= 100,000 cells/mm³

          -  Hemoglobin >= 8.0 g/dL (transfusion or other intervention to achieve Hgb >= 8.0 g/dl is
             permitted)

        Exclusion criteria:

          -  Prior invasive malignancy (except nonmelanoma skin cancer) unless disease free for a
             minimum of 3 years

          -  Severe, active comorbidity, defined as follows:

               -  Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within
                  the last 6 months

               -  Transmural myocardial infarction within the last 6 months

               -  Acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring intravenous antibiotics at the
                  time of registration

               -  Hepatic insufficiency resulting in clinical jaundice and/or coagulation defects
                  (laboratory tests for liver function and coagulation parameters, however, are
                  not required for entry into this protocol)

               -  Renal failure (laboratory tests for renal function, however, are not required
                  for entry into this protocol)

               -  AIDS based upon current CDC definition (HIV testing is not required)

        PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

          -  No prior systemic chemotherapy for the study cancer

               -  Prior chemotherapy for a different cancer is permitted

          -  No hormonal therapy initiated within the last 3 months

          -  No prior radiotherapy to the pelvic region that would result in overlap of
             radiotherapy fields