S0421, Docetaxel and Prednisone With or Without Atrasentan in Treating Patients With Stage IV Prostate Cancer and Bone Metastases That Did Not Respond to Previous Hormone Therapy

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, prednisone, and atrasentan work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether docetaxel, prednisone, and atrasentan are more effective than docetaxel and prednisone in treating prostate cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying docetaxel, prednisone, and atrasentan to see how well they work compared to docetaxel and prednisone in treating patients with stage IV prostate cancer and bone metastases that did not respond to previous hormone therapy.