Abstract Background and Objectives It is generally accepted that inflammatory cells found in the tumor microenvironment are involved in the neoplastic process promoting cell proliferation survival and migration Therefore administering anti inflammatory medication in cancer therapy seems to be justified A potential pathway associated with the aforementioned issue is cyclooxygenase 2 inhibition particularly as the overexpression of this enzyme has been proven to occur in cancer tissues and is also associated with a poor prognosis in several types of human malignancies Celecoxib a COX 2 selective inhibitor has been utilized for over 20 years particularly as an anti inflammatory analgesic and antipyretic medication However to date its antineoplastic properties have not been sufficiently investigated In recent years the number of research studies on the antineoplastic effects of celecoxib has increased considerably The vast majority of publications refers to preclinical studies attempting to elucidate its mechanisms of action Clinical trials concerning celecoxib have focused primarily on the treatment of cancers of the colon breast lung prostate stomach head and neck as well as premalignant lesions such as familial adenoma polyposis In this review article authors attempt to summarise the latest research which has elucidated celecoxib use in the treatment and prevention of cancer Conclusion Both preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated promising results of the role of celecoxib in the treatment and prevention of cancer the best outcome was observed in colon breast prostate and head and neck cancers However more clinical trials providing real evidence based clinical advances of celecoxib use are needed