Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate
• •Must have undergone radical prostatectomy ≥ 3 months ago
• •Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ≥ 0.6 ng/mL and rising (after radical prostatectomy) on ≥ 2 measurements separated by ≥ 3 months
• •HLA-A2-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells by flow cytometry
• •No clinical evidence of local recurrence
• •* No palpable induration or mass in prostatic fossa
• •No metastatic prostate cancer
• •* No osseous metastases by bone scan
• •Performance status - ECOG 0-1
• •Performance status - Karnofsky 70-100%
• •More than 1 year
• •WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3
• •Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• •Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• •AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal
• •Bilirubin normal
• •Hepatitis B and C negative
• •Creatinine normal
• •Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
• •No symptomatic congestive heart failure
• •No unstable angina pectoris
• •No cardiac arrhythmia
• •No history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to study PSA peptide vaccine or Montanide ISA-51
• •No history of systemic autoimmune disease or autoimmune disease requiring anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive therapy
• •* Patients with history of autoimmune thyroiditis are eligible provided the patient requires only thyroid hormone replacement therapy AND disease has been stable for ≥ 1 year
• •No known HIV positivity
• •No ongoing or active infection
• •No primary or secondary immune deficiency
• •No psychiatric illness or social situation that would preclude study compliance
• •No history of other uncontrolled illness
• •No prior chemotherapy
• •No prior hormonal therapy
• •No concurrent systemic or ocular steroid therapy, except for any of the following:
• •* Inhaled steroids for asthma
• •* Limited topical steroids
• •* Replacement doses of cortisone
• •More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy
• •No prior radiotherapy to the prostate
• •* Prior radiotherapy to the pelvis after radical prostatectomy allowed
• •See Disease Characteristics
• •No other concurrent investigational agents
• •No other concurrent anticancer therapy