Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed prostate cancer Disease progression after prior castration At least 3 rising PSA levels at least 1 week apart OR 2 rising levels at least 4 weeks apart New osseous lesions on bone scan and/or more than 25% increase in bidimensionally measurable soft tissue disease or appearance of new sites of disease by CT scan or MRI Testosterone no greater than 50 ng/mL Medical therapy (e.g., gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues) to maintain castrate level of testosterone should continue in the absence of surgical orchiectomy Progression of disease after discontinuation of prior anti-androgen therapy No requirement for palliative therapy within the past 12 weeks No active CNS or epidural primary tumor OR active CNS or epidural metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: Karnofsky 60-100% Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: WBC greater than 3,500/mm3 Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm3 Hepatic: Bilirubin less than 1.5 mg/dL Gamma-glutamyl-transferase less than upper limit of normal (ULN) AST less than ULN PT less than 14 seconds No prior autoimmune hepatitis Renal: Creatinine less than 1.5 mg/dL OR Creatinine clearance greater than 60 mL/min Cardiovascular: No clinically significant cardiac disease (New York Heart Association class III or IV) Pulmonary: No severe debilitating pulmonary disease Other: Fertile patients must use effective contraception No active uncontrolled infection or infection requiring IV antibiotics No prior autoimmune disease PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: No prior murine protein for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes No other concurrent anticancer immunotherapy Chemotherapy: At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy and recovered No concurrent anticancer chemotherapy Endocrine therapy: See Disease Characteristics No concurrent anticancer hormonal therapy Radiotherapy: At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy and recovered Concurrent radiotherapy to localized sites of disease (e.g., bone) allowed if the site does not contain sole measurable lesion Surgery: See Disease Characteristics No concurrent surgery Other: Recovered from all prior therapy At least 4 weeks since prior therapeutic investigational anticancer drugs At least 4 weeks since prior participation in therapeutic clinical trial with an experimental drug No prior diagnostic ProstaScint, Myoscint, or Oncoscint scans No other concurrent therapeutic investigational anticancer agents No concurrent participation in other therapeutic clinical trial with an experimental drug