Objective:The molecular mechanism of prostate cancer is poorly understood.The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and prognostic value of promoter hypermethylation of retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB) and p16 among benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer patients.Methods:In this case-control study,63 patients were included in three groups; 21 with BPH as the control group,21 with prostate cancer and good prognostic factors (based on prostate-specific antigen,Gleason score and stage) as good prognosis group,and 21 with prostate cancer and poor prognostic features as poor prognosis group.The prostate biopsy specimen of each individual was examined for hypermethylation of RARB and p16 promoters by methylation specific PCR (MSPCR).Results:Seven (33.3％) patients with good prognosis and 15 (71.4％) patients with poor prognosis were positive for RARB methylation,which were significantly higher than controls (P ＜0.0001).p16 promoter methylation was shown in 19.0％ and 47.6％ patients with good and poor prognosis,respectively.The RARB and p16 promoter methylation in the poor prognosis group was significantly higher than that in the good prognosis group (P -0.02 for RARB and P＜0.0001 for p16).Conclusion:Hypermethylation of RARB and p16 promoters may predict prognosis in prostate cancer.