In prostate cancers with Gleason scores 3–6, 4 out of 18 specimens were positive for PTCH1 (22%), whereas 16 out of 22 undifferentiated carcinomas (Gleason Scores of 8–10) expressed PTCH1 (73%, see Table 1, Additional file 1), suggesting that the hedgehog pathway is frequently activated in advanced prostate cancer. This evidence concerns the gene PTCH1 and prostate carcinoma.