Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of malignant tumor deaths in the registered population of Zhuhai city. Methods A retrospective survey of death from malignant tumor during 2004 and 2005 was performed in the registered population of Zhuhai city. This was based on the retrospective protocol of the third national survey of death cause. The mortality of main malignant tumor and cause of deaths were analyzed. Results During 2004 to 2005, the mean crude mortality and age-specific standardized mortality of malignant tumor were 90.3/100 000 and 97.2/100 000, respectively. Malignant tumor death was the most common cause of death in Zhuhai city, accounting for 21.8% of all deaths. The standardized mortalities in males and females were 119.7/100,000 and 71.6/100,000, respectively. The standardized rate in the male population was significantly higher than that of the female population (u=10.3, Plt;0.01). The mortality of malignant tumor tended to increase with age. The top five causes of malignant tumor deaths were lung cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and gastric cancer. Their standardized mortalities were 20.9, 18.0, 8.7, 8.2, 8.1/100,000, respectively. Conclusion The mortality of mal ignant tumors has showed an increasing trend in Zhuhai city, with the main tumors being lung cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and gastric cancer. Malignant tumor has become a common and frequently-occurring disease with a major impact on the life and health of people in Zhuhai city.