Epidermal growth factor receptor signalling, upregulated in an autocrine manner in prostate carcinomas (Kim et al, 1999), was shown to be responsible, at least in part, for the downregulation of cadherin-mediated adhesion and levels of molecules noted in these tumours as it is in many other carcinomas (Sorscher et al, 1995a, 1995b; Wilding et al, 1996; Jawhari et al, 1999; Andl et al, 2003). This evidence concerns the gene CDH17 and neoplasm.