Ketoconazole, Hydrocortisone, and GM-CSF in Treating Patients With Progressive Prostate Cancer After Hormone Therapy

Inclusion criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate * Progressive disease after androgen deprivation AND meets 1 of the following criteria: * Measurable disease * Measurable lesions ≥ 10 mm with spiral CT * Up to 5 lesions per organ and 10 lesions total should be identified as target lesions * No measurable disease * Patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-only disease must have an elevated PSA * PSA evidence for progressive disease consists of a PSA level of ≥ 5 ng/mL that has risen on ≥ 2 successive occasions, ≥ 2 weeks apart * Patients with a positive bone scan must also have an elevated PSA * Patients who received prior antiandrogen as a part of primary androgen ablation therapy must demonstrate disease progression after discontinuation of the antiandrogen * Disease progression after antiandrogen withdrawal is defined as 2 consecutive rising PSA values obtained ≥ 2 weeks apart, or documented osseous or soft tissue progression * Patients receiving flutamide must have had ≥ 1 of the PSA values obtained ≥ 4 weeks after flutamide discontinuation * Patients receiving bicalutamide or nilutamide must have had ≥ 1 of the PSA values obtained ≥ 6 weeks after antiandrogen discontinuation * Testosterone \< 50 ng/dL * PSA ≥ 5 ng/mL PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * Karnofsky performance status 60-100% * No serious intercurrent infections or nonmalignant uncontrolled medical illnesses * No psychiatric illnesses OR social situations that would limit compliance * No active or uncontrolled autoimmune disease * ALT and AST normal * Bilirubin normal * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³ * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm³ * Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times upper limit or normal (ULN) * Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL * No other currently active malignancy except for nonmelanoma skin cancer * No currently active malignancy defined as therapy completed with ≤ 30% risk of relapse PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * Patients must continue primary androgen deprivation therapy with a luteinizing-hormone releasing-hormone (LHRH) analogue if they have not undergone orchiectomy * No prior systemic chemotherapy for prostate cancer * All other systemic chemotherapy must have been completed ≥ 2 years prior to study * No other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy * Major surgery or radiation therapy completed ≥ 4 weeks prior to study * No other concurrent corticosteroids, including routine use antiemetics * No prior ketoconazole, aminoglutethimide, or corticosteroids for treatment of progressive prostate cancer * No prior immunotherapy (e.g., vaccines or sargramostim GM-CSF) * Patients receiving any other hormonal therapy (e.g., megestrol, finasteride, herbal product known to decrease PSA levels \[e.g., saw palmetto or PC-SPES\], or any systemic corticosteroid) must discontinue the agent ≥ 4 weeks prior to enrollment and progressive disease must be documented after discontinuation * No initiation of bisphosphonate therapy within 1 month prior to starting study therapy * Patients on stable doses that show tumor progression are allowed to continue bisphosphonate * No concurrent supplements or complementary medicines/botanicals, except any combination of the following: * Conventional multivitamin supplements * Selenium * Lycopene * Soy supplements * Vitamin E * At least 8 weeks since prior radiopharmaceuticals (strontium chloride Sr 89, samarium Sm 153 lexidronam pentasodium) * No other concurrent investigational or commercial anticancer agents or therapies