Antisense therapy which reduces the expression of TRPM-2 provides therapeutic benefits in the treatment of cancer for example prostate cancer and renal cell cancer. Antisense TRPM-2 ODN treatment of prostatic tumor cells in vivo is effective for delaying the onset of androgen independence and can be used in combination with androgen-withdrawal to induce apoptotic cell death of prostatic tumor cells in the individual. Combined use of antisense TRPM-2 and taxanes synergistically enhances cytotoxic chemosensitivity of androgen-independent prostate cancer. Radiation sensitivity is also enhanced when cells expressing TRPM-2 are treated with antisense TRPM-2 ODN. Thus, the antisense TRPM-2 ODNs can be used to enhance hormone sensitivity, chemosensitivity and radiation sensitivity of a variety of cancer types in which expression of TRPM-2 has been observed.