We present a descriptive study of 1221 cancer deaths among Libyans in Benghazi for the period 1991-96. The cancer mortality rates per 10(5) person-years at risk for males, females and both sexes were 39.8, 26.5 and 33.3 respectively. The age-standardized cancer death rate per 10(5) standard world population was 91.5, 60.0 and 76.5 respectively. The 10 most common cancer deaths by site (comprising 67.7% of the total), in descending order of frequency, were: trachea, bronchus and lung, blood (leukaemia), colon/rectum, other lymphatic and haemo-poietic tissue (lymphomas), stomach, breast, prostate, liver, bladder, and larynx. The results point to the necessity for conducting comprehensive prospective studies, initiating a cancer registry and establishing a national cancer control programme.