Tuberc Respir Dis.  2011 Nov;71(5):363-367.

A Case of Lymphoepithelioma-Like Carcinoma of the Lung

• Jung CY
• Shim SW
• Park CK
• Kwon KY
• Jeon YJ

Abstract

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) of the lung is a very rare tumor. Originally described in the nasopharynx as lymphoepithelioma, this carcinoma has also been found in the stomach, esophagus, thymus, cervix, urinary bladder, skin, and salivary glands. Histologically, it is an undifferentiated carcinoma that has a syncytial appearance with tumor cells and is infiltrated by numerous lymphocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells. LELC of the lung occurs more commonly in Asians, particularly Chinese. Many studies have reported the association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and LELC of the lung in Asian patients. A 45-year-old man had a solitary pulmonary nodule on a routine chest X-ray examination. As a malignant tumor was suspected, surgical resection was performed to establish the correct diagnosis. The pathology of the excised tumor demonstrated LELC of the lung. This is the first report of LELC of the lung in Korea.

Keyword

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule; Lung Neoplasms; Herpesvirus 4, Human

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Carcinoma
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
Cervix Uteri
Esophagus
Female
Herpesvirus 4, Human
Humans
Korea
Lung
Lung Neoplasms
Lymphocytes
Macrophages
Middle Aged
Nasopharynx
Plasma Cells
Salivary Glands
Skin
Solitary Pulmonary Nodule
Stomach
Thorax
Thymus Gland
Urinary Bladder

Figure

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  Figure 1 (A) Chest radiograph shows nodular lesion on the left lower lung field. (B) Chest CT scan shows a 2 cm sized nodule in the anterior basal segment of the left lower lobe. (C, D) F-18 FDG PET-CT scan shows hypermetabolic nodule in the left lower lobe (SUVmax, 6.1). CT: computed tomography; FDG: fluorodeoxyglucose; PET-CT: positron emission tomography-CT.

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  Figure 2 (A) Gross appearance reveals 2.5 cm sized round to oval nodule with ill demarcations in the left lower lobe. (B) H&E staining shows a sheet of tumor cells surrounded by abundant lymphoid cells in the stroma (×400). (C) Pan-CK stain shows stained tumor cells (epithelial origin), whereas lymphocytes are not (×200). (D) In situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small nuclear RNA shows intense signals in tumor cell nuclei (dark blue) (EBV in situ, ×200).

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