Docetaxel and Prednisone With/Out OGX-011 in Recurrent or Metastatic Prostate Cancer That Did Not Respond to Previous Hormone Therapy

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically or cytologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate * Metastatic or locally recurrent disease * Not curable with standard therapy * Systemic chemotherapy is indicated, due to disease progression while receiving androgen-ablative therapy (i.e., hormone-refractory disease) * Disease progression is defined as development of new metastatic lesions OR ≥ 2 consecutive rises in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) over a reference value * Androgen ablative therapy must have included either medical or surgical castration * Castrate level of testosterone (≤ 1.7 nmol/L) required if treated with medical androgen ablation * Patients with documented disease progression while on peripheral antiandrogens must also have documented PSA progression after stopping antiandrogens * PSA ≥ 5 ng/mL * No known CNS metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Performance status * ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy * At least 12 weeks Hematopoietic * Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * No known bleeding disorder Hepatic * PT and PTT or INR normal * Bilirubin normal * AST and ALT ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Renal * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN Cardiovascular * No significant cardiac dysfunction Other * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * No pre-existing peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2 * No active, uncontrolled infection * No significant neurological disorder that would preclude study compliance * No history of other malignancies within the past 5 years except adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Chemotherapy * No prior chemotherapy except estramustine and recovered * No other concurrent chemotherapy Endocrine therapy * See Disease Characteristics * At least 4 weeks since prior antiandrogens (6 weeks for bicalutamide) * Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist therapy must be continued\* or restarted\* during study treatment to maintain castrate levels of testosterone NOTE: \*For patients receiving LHRH agonist therapy prior to study entry Radiotherapy * At least 4 weeks since prior external beam radiotherapy except low-dose, nonmyelosuppressive radiotherapy * Must have had less than 25% of marrow irradiated * No prior strontium chloride Sr 89 * No concurrent radiotherapy except low-dose, nonmyelosuppressive, palliative radiotherapy Surgery * At least 2 weeks since prior major surgery Other * At least 4 weeks since prior investigational agent * At least 4 weeks since prior anticancer therapy * No concurrent therapeutic anticoagulants except low-dose oral anticoagulants (i.e., 1 mg warfarin) or low molecular weight heparin * No other concurrent investigational agents * No other concurrent cytotoxic therapy