RATIONALE: Collecting and storing samples of bone marrow and tissue from patients to test in the laboratory may help the study of cancer.

PURPOSE: This laboratory study is comparing proteases (enzymes that break down protein) in patients with prostate cancer that has spread to the bone with patients who do not have cancer that has spread to the bone.

OBJECTIVES:

• Examine the roles of proteases and protease-associated molecules in bone metastases in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo bone marrow aspiration and core bone biopsies. Tissues are analyzed by immunohistochemistry methods, in situ hybridization assays, gelatin zymography and/or Western blot analysis, and gene profiling analysis in order to visualize and quantitate protease or protease-related levels.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 50 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Meets 1 of the following criteria:

  • Diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer

    • Patients with documented bone metastases on radiologic imaging studies must undergo bone marrow biopsy

  • Male patients ≥ 50 years of age without cancer who are scheduled to undergo bone biopsy for other clinically indicated reasons, including any of the following:

    • Myelodysplasia
    • Anemia
    • Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance

  • Male or female patients ≥ 40 years of age without metastatic bone cancer who are scheduled to undergo an orthopedic procedure involving removal of bone specimen

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• See Disease Characteristics

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified