This hospital-based study seeks to find out the most common cancers amongst the patients attending Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), Dehradun, situated in Uttaranchal, which has inadequate health care facilities and low socio-economical status. In our study, of the 20,247 cases reported in the pathology department from July 1996 to Dec. 2003, 18.57% cases were malignant. Male to female ratio was 1.7:1.Top five cancers in males were those of lung, larynx, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, oesophagus & stomach. Top five cancers in females were those of breast, cervix, gall bladder, ovary & oesophagus. Tobacco and alcohol related cancers predominated in males. Skin and soft tissue cancers and were also common amongst both genders. Patients mostly reported with cancers in advanced stages, which could be attributed to poor medical facilities and health awareness in this region.