Disclosed herein is a method for treating an androgen-stimulated disease in a subject in need thereof by administering to the subject a composition containing an effective amount of an inhibitor of I.kappa.B kinase subunit .alpha. activity. The composition can also be administered to a subject at high risk for prostate cancer as a method for reducing the subject's risk thereof. A further method relates to identifying a modulator of transcriptional activity regulated by I.kappa.B kinase subunit .alpha.. Still another method relates to determining the I.kappa.B kinase subunit .alpha.-regulated transcriptional activity regulated by in a non-human mammalian test subject.