In this paper temporal trend of the upper gastrointestinal tract cancers in the Italian Network of Cancer Registries (pool AIRT) are analysed during the period 1986-1997. Oesophagus cancer (4477 cases and 4226 deaths analysed) showed a decrease in incidence rates that was statistically significant among males and less evident in recent years among females. Mortality is significantly decreasing both among males (since 1993) and females. Stomach cancer (34282 cases and 26430 deaths) had a stable decreasing trend, in both sexes, for both incidence which decreased at a rate of more 3% every year, and of mortality, mean annual rate decrease over 4%. As regards liver cancer (13893 cases 13655 deaths) an increasing incidence trend (up to 1993 among males) has been documented; mortality was stable. Cancers of the biliary tract (6662 cases and 5065 deaths) showed stable rates both in incidence (slightly decreasing among females) than in mortality. Pancreas cancer (13300 cases and 12937 deaths) presented increasing incidence in both sexes with stable mortality rates
