Estramustine Phosphate Sodium

This study is for men who have prostate cancer and have failed local therapy or are not a candidate for prostatectomy or radiation therapy. The purpose of this research study is to assess the safety and benefit of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT, blocks hormones) plus chemotherapy. Degarelix is the hormone blocking drug that will be used. Doxorubicin, Ketoconazole, Docetaxel and Estramustine are the chemotherapy drugs that will be used. The drugs used in this study are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Participants will be treated with ADT plus chemotherapy for three, four, or five 8-week cycles (12, 18, or 24 months). The number of cycles of chemotherapy they receive and the number of months they receive ADT will be based on their disease. The current standard treatment is ADT and chemotherapy. What differs in this research study is the cycling and combination of chemotherapy drugs chosen. The drugs chosen for this study have fewer side effects and are believed to provide maximum benefit.

This is a study for men who have locally-advanced prostate cancer and are eligible to undergo prostatectomy. Standard treatment is prostatectomy alone, but there is a chance that cancer may spread to other organs in the future, even after the prostate is removed. If this were to occur, standard treatment would be androgen deprivation therapy (ADT; hormone therapy that blocks testosterone) plus chemotherapy. Clinical trials suggest that neoadjuvant treatment (treatment given before primary therapy) may prevent a recurrence. The purpose of this research study is to assess the safety and benefit of ADT plus chemotherapy given before prostate removal.