Gene arrays followed by western analysis of PC3 cell and tumor lysates treated with simvastatin identified several genes involved in the extrinsic death-receptor apoptosis pathway modulated by simvastatin, but not with docetaxel, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), Fas-L, Traf1 and cleaved caspase 8, along with other genes such as Lhx4, Nme5 and Trp53inp1, which are novel, yet unknown regulators of cell survival and apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and prostate carcinoma.