Phase III Study of Docetaxel and Atrasentan Versus Docetaxel and Placebo for Patients With Advanced Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, prednisone, and atrasentan work in
different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping
them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor
cells. It is not yet known whether docetaxel, prednisone, and atrasentan are more effective
than docetaxel and prednisone in treating prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying docetaxel, prednisone, and atrasentan to
see how well they work compared to docetaxel and prednisone in treating patients with stage
IV prostate cancer and bone metastases that did not respond to previous hormone therapy.