OBJECTIVES: Cancer has been the first leading cause of death in Taiwan since 1982 and its incidence is rising year by year. Disease burdens associated with cancers are substantial. This study aims to evaluate economic burdens of the top 10 cancers during 2003-2012 in Taiwan. METHODS: Patients with diagnostic ICD-9-CM codes of lung, hepatic, colorectal, breast, oral, gastric, prostate, pancreatic, esophageal, and cervical cancer during 2003-2012 were identified as the study cases from the National Health Insurance Research Database. The prevalence‐based approach was employed to describe medical costs associated with the top 10 cancers. The productivity losses resulting from cancer deaths were also estimated by multiplying potential life years lost due to the top 10 cancer deaths by average annual wage. RESULTS: Total medical costs for all top 10 cancers were increasing, especially for lung and breast cancer. Total medical costs of colorectal cancer were the highest before 2008, while costs of lung and breast cancer have become dominant since 2008. Drug costs were increasing for most top 10 cancers, especially for lung, hepatic, and breast cancer. Inpatient costs accounted for the largest proportion of total medical costs for most top 10 cancers, except breast, prostate, and cervical cancers. The productivity losses incurred by lung, colorectal, breast, oral, and pancreatic cancers showed a slightly increasing trend. Hepatic, oral and lung cancers caused the top 3 highest productivity losses for male, while breast, lung and colorectal cancer did for female. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates an increasing trend in medical costs reimbursed by the National Health Insurance and mortality costs associated with the top 10 cancers. Out-of-pocket medical costs and non-medical costs associated with cancer treatment need to be included in the future to provide the overall picture of economic burdens of the top 10 cancers in Taiwan.