Provided is a method of treating cancer in a subject by inhibiting expression of PAX2. An example of a cancer treated by the present method is prostate cancer. Similarly, provided is a method of treating cancer in a subject by increasing expression of DEFB1 in the subject. In the method wherein the expression of DEFB1 is increased, it can be increased by blocking the binding of PAX2 to the DEFB1 promoter. Blocking the binding of PAX2 to the DEFB1 promoter can be by administration of an oligonucleotide containing the PAX2 DNA binding site of DEFB1. This oligonucleotide can be complementary to the sequence of PAX2 that binds to the DEFB1 promoter. Alternatively, the oligonucleotide can interact with the PAX2 in a way that inhibits binding to DEFB1.
