Patient description: The patient is a 55 year old man visiting his primary care physician for lower urinary tract symptoms including frequency, urgency, weak stream, incomplete emptying and intermittent flow for the past 9 months. Further evaluation revealed: IPSS score : 15 Post-void residual: 70 mL Prostate volume (TRUS): 60 mL Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level: 3.2 ng/mL 10 mL/sec of maximum flow rate when urine volume was 130 mL He is otherwise healthy only using Vit D 1000 units daily. His recent blood chemistry (3 days ago) was normal: Hgb: 13.5 g/dl WBC: 135000 /mm3 Plt: 350000 /ml PT: 11 second PTT: 35 second INR: 0.9 Creatinine: 0.5 mg/dl BUN: 10 mg/dl U/A: Color: yellow Appearance: cloudy PH: 5.3 Specific gravity: 1.010 Glc: 100 Nitrite: negative Ketone: none Leukocyte esterase: negative RBC: negative WBC: 2 WBCs/hpf U/C: negative

Clinical trial eligibility criteria: eligible ages (years): 18.0-999.0,  Prostate Cancer patients must have prostate specific antigen (PSA) only androgen dependent adenocarcinoma of the prostate. All patients must have failed definitive therapy (radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy with external beam or brachytherapy,or cryosurgery) Patients must have a negative Computerized Tomography (CT) scan and Bone Scan for metastatic prostate cancer Patients must have histopathological documentation of prostate cancer. Every attempt should be made to have slides and blocks reviewed at National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pathology laboratory. The review of pathology by the NCI will not delay enrollment Patients must have progressive prostate cancer. Two consecutively rising PSAs above the nadir post-definitive therapy and an absolute value greater than 1.0 ng/ml separated by at least 2 weeks Patients must have a life expectancy of more than 12 months Patients must have a performance status of 0 to 2 according to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) criteria Hematological parameters (within 2 weeks of starting therapy): Granulocyte count greater than or equal to 1,000/mm^3. Platelet count greater than or equal to 75,000/mm^3 Biochemical parameters (within 2 weeks of starting therapy): If the creatinine is greater than 2.0 mg/dL obtain a 24 hour urine collection. Creatinine clearance must be greater than 40 mL/min. Hepatic function: bilirubin (total) less than or equal to 1 mg/dL upper limit of normal; Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) less than 2.5 times upper limit of normal Exception: Patients with Clinical Gilbert's Syndrome may have total bilirubin less than or equal to 2.5 mg/dL Patients must not have other concurrent malignancies (within the past 2 years) with the exception of nonmelanoma skin cancer and Rai Stage 0 chronic lymphoma leukemia), in situ carcinoma of any site, or life threatening illnesses, including untreated infection (must be at least 1 week off intravenous antibiotic therapy before beginning thalidomide)  Patients that have received leuprolide, diethylstilbestrol (DES), flutamide, bicalutamide, PC stands for prostate cancer and SPES is the Latin word for hope)PC-SPES, goserelin, cytotoxic chemotherapy, finasteride and/or nilutamide within the past year (or currently) are not eligible. Patients that received these agents for adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy at the time of definitive therapy are eligible. Exception: Patients enrolled under late entry who have received leuprolide/goserelin within 3 months of starting study are eligible Patients with National Cancer Institute (NCI)/Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) grade 2 or greater peripheral neuropathy of any cause that is clinically detectable, patients receiving anti-convulsive medications, and patients with a history of seizures within the past 10 years will not be eligible for this study Patients who are receiving sedative/hypnotic agents (i.e. benzodiazepines) which cannot be discontinued, will not be eligible for this study. Patients who have had a surgical orchiectomy will not be eligible for this study Patients who received a systemic chemotherapy for prostate cancer will not be eligible Patients with a confirmed psychiatric history of a major depression consistent with American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IIIR criteria), confirmed by a psychiatrist will not be eligible