RATIONALE: Measuring bone mineral density may help doctors predict whether prostate cancer will come back. It may also help the study of prostate cancer in the future.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying bone mineral density as a risk factor in patients with early stage prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with clinically significant early stage prostate cancer.
• Determine whether patients who have a higher level of BMD and have had a radical prostatectomy for cure are less likely to have an early relapse (i.e., less than 3 years) than those patients with a low level of BMD.

OUTLINE: This is a case-controlled study followed by a prospective, longitudinal, cohort study.

Patients undergo bone mineral density (BMD) measurements by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry with a densitometer. Posteroanterior measurements of the total hip are also recorded.

Patients also undergo blood collection to examine markers that provide evidence of systemic disease and are known to cause a decrease in BMD.

Patients are followed every 6 months for 3 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 40 patients will be accrued for this study.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Biopsy-confirmed early stage prostate cancer

  • Disease localized within the capsule
  • No evidence of regional or distant spread (i.e., T1-2, N0, M0 disease)
  • A cohort of patients must have undergone a prior radical prostatectomy
• Prostate specific antigen < 12 ng/mL
• Gleason score ≥ 6

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Creatinine clearance ≤ 2.0 mg/dL
• No Paget's disease
• No hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism
• No Cushing's disease
• No chronic liver disease
• No major health problems that would cause a significant reduction in mobility or activities of daily living

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics
• No prior bisphosphonates, thyroxin, or calcitonin
• No prior agents that suppress PSA levels (e.g., finasteride)
• No prior androgen or estrogen therapy
• More than 12 months since prior glucocorticoids
• More than 12 months since prior herbal supplements that are known to lower PSA levels