Expression of the telomerase catalytic sub‐unit (htert) constitutes a key step in the development of human cancer. Although htert regulation is still unclear, several studies suggest that c‐myc may activate its expression. Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies among men in Western countries. Since de‐regulated expression of myc as well as telomerase activation may contribute to the pathogenicity of this cancer, we investigated this pathway in prostate tumorigenesis. For this purpose, myc‐ and htert‐mRNA expression was quantified in 33 sporadic prostate tumors using a real‐time quantitative PCR assay based on TaqMan methodology. myc over‐expression was observed in 19 (58%) of 33 tumors, whereas telomerase status evaluated by htert expression was observed in 22 (67%). There was no correlation between myc over‐expression or htert expression level and tumor stage or Gleason grade. A significant association (p = 0.0024) was found between myc over‐expression and elevated htert expression, indicating that the up‐regulation of telomerase activity often observed in prostate tumors might be conferred through transactivation of htert by myc. It is likely that the ability of c‐myc protein to stimulate expression of htert and thereby enhance telomerase activity represents an important step in prostate tumorigenesis. Int. J. Cancer (Pred. Oncol.) 89:172–176, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.