Background Colorectal cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality world wide. Prognostic assessment influences the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer, including decisions about adjuvant therapy. Bcl-2 over expression is a genetic event associated with tumor progression and is a prognostic marker for this disease. Aim of the study To assess the expression of bcl-2 in colorectal carcinoma and its correlation with other clinicopathological prognostic faptors. Patients' samples, materials and methods Thirty-five formaline fixed paraffin embedded tissue samples for the period between Jan 2004 - Jan 2005 were collected retrospectively and stained immunohistochemically by using alkaline phosphatase method for evaluating bcl-2 expression. The presence of red cytoplasmic reaction in the section was regarded as positive reaction. By combining the intensity and the quantity of the immunostaining, weak cytoplasmic staining and less than 25% of the tumor cells showing the cytoplasmic stain were regarded as positive for bcl-2 expression. Statistical analysis of all the results were performed using chi square test at level of significance alpha=0.05(p<0.05 regarded as statistically significant. Results Bcl-2 expression was significantly higher in low grade colorectal carcinoma with p=0.013.When comparing bcl-2 expression among all stages of colorectal cancer, the results were statistically not significant with the p=0.099 but when taking stage A and stage B each versus stage D, bcl-2 expression was found to be expressed., more in early stage colorectal carcinoma (p=0.035, p=0.043 respectively), Non mucinous colorectal cancer showed more bcl-2 expression than the mucinous type (p=0.031). An inverse correlation was found between bcl-2 expression with the size of the tumor and the lymph node status.Bcl-2 expression was not correlated neither with the age and sex of the patient nor with the tumor location. Conclusion Bcl-2 expression can not be considered as an independent prognostic factor but it correlates with many favorable prognostic variables as low grade, early stage, non mucinoUs type, small tumor size and negative lymph node status.