Between 2020 and 2025, Italy's cancer mortality rates fell by 14.5% for men and 5% for women, outperforming the EU average (-3.5% for men and -1.2% for women) and nations such as France, Germany, and Spain. The decline among Italian males is the biggest on the continent, owing mostly to a decrease in fatalities from lung cancer (-24.4%) and stomach cancer (-24.3%). The primary factor is smoking, which accounts for the significant decrease in male cancer mortality due to the consistent decline in this habit among men. The picture is more nuanced when looking at absolute figures. Male cancer deaths are estimated to have fallen from 97,866 in 2020 to 94,740 in 2025, while female deaths are projected to have risen from 79,991 to 81,740, partly because of the ageing population. Overall, Italy is estimated to have recorded around 176,000 cancer deaths in 2025. The long-term trajectory of this favorable trend is expected to persist; however, there is still space for improvement, particularly in the areas of prevention for women and the regional disparities between the North and South.