Introduction Skin cancer is ranked the ninth commonest cancer among males and
tenth among females in Malaysia.
Objectives To review the pattern of skin cancers at University Malaya Medical Centre
(UMMC).
Methods This is a retrospective review of all histo-pathological confirmed skin
cancers at UMMC from 2004 till 2010.
Results Among the 155 patients reviewed, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) was the
commonest skin cancer (44.5%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (27.1%)
and malignant melanoma (MM) (11.6%). The nodulo-ulcerative subtype made up
46% of all BCC while 50% of MM was of acral lentiginous subtype. Patients with
BCC were significantly older (>60 years old), (p=0.003). A majority of skin cancers
were found on the head and neck.
Conclusion BCC was the commonest skin cancer, with significantly older patients
and located mainly on head and neck. MM was the least common skin cancer but
associated with the highest mortality.