This study aims to evaluate the annual changes in the incidence of cancer and region-based rate of cancer mortality. The cancer incidence in Turkey was calculated from the data obtained from the Cancer Control Department of the Ministry of Health (MoH). National Health Accounts and the Cost-Effectiveness Study 2004 (NBD-CE 2004) data was used to account the cancer mortality rates. Then, they were standardized through “direct standardization method”, which is based on Turkish and European standard population. If standardized by the European population, cancer incidence was noted as 95.1% for the year 2001. It was relatively lower in the Southeastern Anatolia and the Black Sea Region if the whole country was considered. Standardized cancer mortality rate was 147.2/100,000 in general which was 144.1/100,000 in the Black Sea Region and 142.5/100,000 in the Eastern Region. Cancer incidence and cancer mortality rate in Turkey is lower than that of the European Union (EU) countries, which might be caused by two factors: the fact that Turkey has a younger population than the EU countries and/or cancer data is not collected so properly in Turkey. Community-based registry systems of the world-wide cancer registry systems quality should be developed in order to obtain concrete, clear and unquestionable data on cancer and to find out the actual scope of the problem in Turkey. [Turk J Cancer 2007;37(4):148-153]