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