Radiation Therapy and Docetaxel in Treating Patients Who Are Undergoing Surgery for Localized Prostate Cancer

INCLUSION CRITERIA; DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the prostate

  * Localized disease, meeting 1 of the following staging criteria:

    * Clinical stage T2b (palpable bilateral movement) disease
    * Surgically resectable T3 disease
* Meets any of the following high-risk\* features:

  * PSA ≥ 15 ng/mL
  * Gleason grade ≥ 4+3 (4+3, 4+4, or 5+any, but not 3+4) NOTE: \*High risk defined as \> 50% chance of failure with local therapy
* Plans to undergo prostatectomy as primary therapy
* No evidence of lymph nodes ≥ 2 cm in diameter by pelvic CT scan

  * Scan only required in patients with a PSA ≥ 40 ng/mL
* No evidence of bone metastases by bone scan

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Life expectancy ≥ 10 years
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-2
* White blood cell (WBC) \> 3,000/mm\^3
* Neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* Direct bilirubin normal
* Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \< 2.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (1.5 times ULN if alkaline phosphatase \[AP\] \> 2.5 times ULN)
* Alkaline phosphatase (AP) \< 4.0 times ULN
* No other serious medical condition that would preclude study treatment
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer
* No peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
* No hypersensitivity to drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
* No significant contraindications to corticosteroids
* No history of scleroderma
* No active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or IBD that is being medically treated

  * Inclusion of patients with a remote history of IBD is at the discretion of radiotherapist

EXCLUSION CRITERIA; PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No prior therapy for prostate cancer, including any of the following:

  * Conventional hormonal therapy (e.g., orchiectomy, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone therapy, antiandrogen therapy, or estrogen therapy)
  * External-beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy
  * Cryotherapy
  * Cytotoxic chemotherapy
* No prior pelvic radiotherapy