Rectal mucosa from normal controls (n = 25) and tumor tissue and rectal mucosa from patients with colorectal cancer (n = 38) and adenoma (n = 35) were biopsied via colonoscopy. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity was determined in order to study the role of promoters in the process of colorectal carcinogenesis. ODC activity of cancer tissue was significantly higher than that of adenoma tissue. Normal mucosal ODC activity in rectum and sigmoid colon was 2 to 4 times higher than that in the proximal colon. Moreover, rectal mucosal ODC activity was significantly higher in patients with cancer or adenoma than that in normal controls. When ODC activity is regarded as an index of promoter, the possibility is suggested that cancer and adenoma developed in similar mucosa of the large bowel. Furthermore, ODC activity in colon cancer was significantly higher than that in rectal cancer. This suggests the possibility that TPA type promoter assumes a greater role in the process of carcinogenesis of colon cancer than that of rectal cancer.