Expression of the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) correlates with tumour cell invasiveness and helps to determine the prognosis of prostate and other cancers. The purpose of this study was to establish in prostate cancer, the ets family and AP-1 complex transcription factors that might activate the inducible AP-1 and AP-1/PEA3 elements of the uPA enhancer. uPA and uPAR were expressed preferentially in adenocarcinoma cells, but not the stroma of high grade prostate cancers. The ets family paralogues Fli-1 and Elf-1 were also highly expressed in adenocarcinoma cells of the majority of cancers, while Erg 1,2 and Ets-2 were expressed in a minority of cancers and Elk-1, PEA3 and PU.1 were minimally expressed. A minority of cancers expressed high levels of cytoplasmic and/or nuclear c-Jun and c-Fos transcription factors. We speculate as to the molecular basis for such expression.