17-AAG in Treating Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer That Did Not Respond to Previous Hormone Therapy

You may be eligible if

• Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate
• * Metastatic disease
• Measurable or evaluable disease
• * Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ 5 ng/mL OR new areas of bony metastases on bone scan are required for patients with no measurable disease
• Objective disease progression OR rising PSA despite receiving androgen deprivation therapy and undergoing antiandrogen withdrawal
• * Patients with a rising PSA must have 2 successive elevations (measured ≥ 1 week apart)
• Must be castrate (testosterone \< 50 ng/mL)
• * Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist therapy must be continued during study participation to maintain castrate levels of testosterone
• Must have received ≥ 1 prior chemotherapy regimen for metastatic disease
• No known brain metastases requiring active therapy
• * Previously treated asymptomatic brain metastases allowed
• Performance status - ECOG 0-2
• At least 12 weeks
• Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 8.0 g/dL
• Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• SGOT and/or SGPT ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND alkaline phosphatase normal
• Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 4 times ULN AND SGOT and/or SGPT normal
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min
• Creatinine normal
• QTc \< 450 msec for male patients
• LVEF \> 40% by MUGA
• EF normal by MUGA if prior anthracycline therapy
• No congenital long QT syndrome
• No left bundle branch block
• Deep venous thrombosis or other clinically significant thromboembolic event within the past 6 months allowed provided patient is clinically stable on anticoagulation therapy
• No history of serious ventricular arrhythmia (i.e., ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation ≥ 3 beats in a row)
• No myocardial infarction within the past year
• No cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attack within the past 6 months
• No New York Heart Association class III or IV congestive heart failure
• No poorly controlled angina
• No uncontrolled dysrhythmia or dysrhythmias requiring medication
• No active ischemic heart disease within the past 12 months
• No other significant cardiac disease
• Pulmonary embolus allowed within the past 6 months provided patient is clinically stable on anticoagulation therapy
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• Willing and able to provide blood samples
• No serious allergy (i.e., hypotension, dyspnea, anaphylaxis, or edema) to eggs
• No other concurrent malignancy or history of a curatively treated malignancy with a survival prognosis of \< 5 years
• No known HIV positivity
• No active infection
• No other severe acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition or laboratory abnormality that would preclude study participation
• At least 4 weeks since prior flutamide (6 weeks for bicalutamide or nilutamide)
• At least 28 days since prior radiotherapy
• No prior radiotherapy field that included the heart (e.g., mantle)
• More than 6 months since prior coronary or peripheral artery bypass grafting
• More than 28 days since prior investigational agents for prostate cancer
• No concurrent agents that interact with cytochrome P450 3A4
• No concurrent warfarin for anticoagulation
• * Concurrent low molecular weight heparin injection allowed
• No concurrent medications that would prolong QTc
• No other concurrent antineoplastic agents
• Concurrent zoledronate for bone metastases or hypercalcemia allowed