Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is one of the important targets for the chemoprevention of colorectal cancer by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). To evaluate the role of COX-2 in early stages of colorectal tumorigenesis, we immunohistochemically investigated the frequency and localization of COX-2 in sporadic colorectal polyps that showed various histology using a commercially available monoclonal antibody. A total of 105 colorectal polyps were examined. These included 33 low-grade adenomas (LGAs), 28 high-grade adenomas (HGAs), 32 HGAs with p53 overexpression (HGAs-p53), and 12 cases of carcinoma in adenoma (CIA). Regarding the immunohistochemical expression of p53, MIB-1, and CD63, histological classification was made for each case. COX-2 was expressed in neoplastic epithelial cells and interstitial macrophages that were distributed mainly in the superficial areas of polyps. COX-2 labeling indices (LIs) were 8.2% in LGAs, 6.3% in HGAs, 0.9% in HGAs-p53, and 0.6% in the carcinomatous components of CIAs. COX-2 LIs were significantly higher in adenomas, including LGAs and HGAs, than in HGAs-p53 and CIAs (p < 0.001). Within CIAs, significantly higher COX-2 LIs were obtained in the adenomatous components than in the carcinomatous components (p < 0.05). The size of polyps was not correlated with COX-2 expression irrespective of their histology. The results show that COX-2 might be involved in early stages of colorectal tumorigenesis. Colorectal adenomas could be a target for the chemopreventive strategy irrespective of their sizes.