Vitamin D seems to be an important determinant of prostate cancer risk and inherited polymorphisms in the 3'untranslated region of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been associated with the risk and progression of prostate cancer in some populations. We therefore studied VDR gene polymorphisms, as detected by Apal and Taql restriction fragments, in multiethnic Brazilian men (165 patients and 200 controls) for association with prostate cancer risk and parameters of disease severity (serum PSA, Gleason score and tumor stage). No statistical correlations were found. The unique ethnical background of Brazilian subjects, characterized by an extensive racial mixture of European, African-American and Native American, might have blunted any ethnic-specific significance of VDR polymorphisms. Further investigations of the associations between VDR and other genetic or environmental factors are warranted.