Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of broxuridine in treating patients who are undergoing surgery for stage I or stage II prostate cancer. Broxuridine may help doctors determine the rate of growth of prostate tumors and help them plan effective treatment

OBJECTIVES:

I. Measure the potential doubling times of multifocal adenocarcinomas of the prostate using broxuridine.

II. Determine whether the doubling times of multifocal carcinomas occurring within a single prostate are consistent with a model in which low-volume carcinomas have slow doubling times and high-volume carcinomas have fast doubling times.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive broxuridine IV over 30 minutes on day -1. Approximately 12-96 hours later, patients undergo surgery to remove the prostate. Tumor tissue is examined by immunostaining for the presence of broxuridine to determine doubling times of the tumor.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of stage I or II (T1-2) carcinoma of the prostate

  • PSA greater than 8 ng/mL
  • Abnormal findings on digital rectal examination

• Eligible for radical prostatectomy

• Performance status - ECOG 0 or 1

• No prior biologic therapy

• No prior chemotherapy

• No prior neoadjuvant hormonal therapy

• No prior radiotherapy

• See Disease Characteristics

• No prior therapy that would affect tumor growth rates or volume