OBJECTIVE: Skin cancer is the most common in Brazil especially in Santa Catarina. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an immunosuppressive cytokine that can allow the escape of cancer cells of the immune system, thereby polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene have been implicated in susceptibility and the development of malignancies. This study aimed to analyze the frequencies of the alleles and genotypic at position -1082 of the promoter region of IL-10 and its association with skin carcinomas. METHODS: This was a case-control study which analyzed 90 samples, and the test group of 49 skin tissue carcinoma and the control group by 41 scrapings oral mucosa of healthy individuals. The ARMS-PCR was used to identify the polymorphism. RESULTS: The allelic frequency for the control group was 70% for the A allele and 30% for G; in the test group gave 44% to 56% allele A and allele G Genotype frequency observed in the control group was AA (42%), AG (56%) and GG (25), while in group test was AA (24%), AG (39%) and GG (37%). There was a statistical difference between groups for both the allelic frequency, as for genotype (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: There was a higher prevalence of the G allele and genotype AG and GG in the test group compared to the control group, a factor that could be an adjuvant in the development of skin carcinomas. This result demonstrates the importance of developing immune response in the malignant transformation process.