RATIONALE: Diagnostic procedures, such as positron emission tomography using carbon-11 acetate, may help find metastases from prostate cancer and may help predict whether prostate cancer will come back after treatment.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well positron emission tomography using carbon-11 acetate works in finding metastases and predicting recurrence in patients with prostate cancer who are at risk for recurrence after treatment.

The overall goal of this project is determination of the role of PET in patients with newly diagnosed medium- and high-risk prostate cancer in whom the standard clinical and imaging workup is negative. Thus, the incremental value of PET will be determined in this important group.

Inclusion Criteria

• Newly diagnosed prostate cancer

• Has completed conventional staging examinations, including biopsy with Gleason score, CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis, and whole-body bone scintigraphy AND conventional staging examinations negative

• Candidate for curative radical prostatectomy OR curative radiotherapy OR staging lymphadenectomy prior to surgery

• Deemed to be at medium or high risk for recurrence after initial curative treatment, as defined by 1 of the following criteria:

  • Gleason score 7 AND prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 10-20 ng/mL
  • Gleason score ≥ 8 AND PSA < 10 ng/mL
  • Gleason score ≥ 8 AND PSA > 10 ng/mL
  • Any Gleason score AND PSA > 20 ng/mL

Exclusion Therapy:

• Not a candidate for treatment by surgery or radiation therapy with curative intent
• Inability to give informed consent
• Patients with other invasive malignancies, with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer, who had (or have) any evidence of other cancer present within the last 5 years