DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
- Histologically confirmed prostate cancer
- Stage D0 disease
- Tumor originally diagnosed as being limited to the prostate and now having
a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after definitive local therapy
- Must have undergone local treatment via prostatectomy or radiotherapy
- PSA values must be >= 0.2 ng/mL as determined by 2 measurements, >= 1 month apart
and >= 6 months after prostatectomy
- PSA values must be >= 2.0 ng/mL as determined by 2 measurements, >= 1 month apart
and >= 6 months after radiotherapy
- The first two PSA values along with a third value must all be rising (i.e.,
there must be an overall rising trajectory, such that the third value cannot be
lower than the first value)
- No metastatic disease by baseline bone scan and CT scan of the abdomen and/or pelvis
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- Life expectancy >= 6 months
- ECOG performance status 0-2
- WBC >= 3,500/µL
- ANC >= 1,500/µL
- Platelet count > 100,000/µL
- Hemoglobin > 10 g/dL
- Serum creatinine < 1.5 mg/dL OR creatinine clearance > 50 mL/min
- Total bilirubin normal
- SGOT and/or SGPT normal
- No serious concomitant systemic disorder that, at the discretion of the investigator,
would compromise the safety of the patient or compromise the patient's ability to
complete the study
- No second primary malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated in
situ carcinoma (e.g., non-melanomatous carcinoma of the skin) or other malignancy
with no evidence of recurrence
- No active clinically significant infection requiring antibiotics
- No history of coronary artery disease
- No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months
- No sulfa allergy
- No history of gastrointestinal bleeding
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- See Disease Characteristics
- No prior hormone-ablative treatment
- Prior neoadjuvant hormone-ablative therapy allowed provided it was completed >= 3
months ago
- More than 4 weeks since prior herbal products with hormonal activity such as soy, saw
palmetto, or PC-SPES
- No prior or concurrent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDS) for 7 consecutive
days
- No COX-2 inhibitor and/or statin within the past 6 months
- No concurrent warfarin or any other anticoagulant, calcitriol, fibric acid
derivatives, lipid-modifying doses of niacin, or strong cytochrome P450 3A4
inhibitors (e.g., cyclosporine, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azole antifungals)
or inducers (e.g., St John wort)
- No other concurrent anticancer agents or therapies including chemotherapy, hormonal
therapy, radiotherapy, or experimental therapy
