Hormone Therapy Plus Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer

RATIONALE: Androgens can stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. Drugs such as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist, flutamide, and bicalutamide may stop the adrenal glands from producing androgens. Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining hormone therapy with chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy given at the same time as hormone therapy is more effective than chemotherapy given after hormone therapy in treating prostate cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of chemotherapy given at the same time as hormone therapy with that of chemotherapy given after hormone therapy in treating patients who have prostate cancer.