Nonnasopharyngeal Lymphoepitheliomas (Undifferentiated Carcinomas) of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract
- 1 April 1995
- journal article
- case report
- Published by SAGE Publications in Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
- Vol. 104 (4), 305-310
- https://doi.org/10.1177/000348949510400410
Abstract
Lymphoepitheliomas are malignant tumors of epithelial origin with various amounts of reactive lymphocytic infiltrate. Although initially described in the nasopharynx (World Health Organization type 3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma), these tumors have been identified in various locations throughout the body. A strong association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been established for the nasopharyngeal type. Outside the nasopharynx, lymphoepitheliomas are exceedingly rare in the upper aerodigestive tract, with only isolated case reports of tumors in the larynx, trachea, and hypopharynx. This article features a rare case of lymphoepithelioma of the pyriform sinus. Furthermore, serologic testing, as well as in situ tumor DNA amplification (using the polymerase chain reaction) and hybridization techniques, demonstrated an association of this lesion with EBV infection. The characteristic histopathologic features common to this disease entity are presented, and the literature is reviewed with regard to lymphoepitheliomas of the upper aerodigestive tract outside the nasopharynx. Association of lymphoepitheliomas with EBV infection will be discussed.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Lymphoepitheliomalike Carcinoma of the SkinThe American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 1992
- Undifferentiated carcinoma of the salivary gland in Greenlandic Eskimos: Demonstration of Epstein-Barr virus DNA by in situ nucleic acid hybridizationHuman Pathology, 1991
- Lymphoepithelioma-like Carcinoma of the LungThe American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 1989
- Lymphoepithelioma of the OropharynxOtolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, 1989
- Association of the epstein-barr virus with lymphoepithelioma of the thymusCancer, 1988
- Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the uterine cervixThe American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 1985
- Application of Epstein‐Barr Virus Serology to the Diagnosis and Staging of North American Patients with Nasopharyngeal CarcinomaOtolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, 1983
- The pathology of head and neck tumors: Carcinoma of the nasopharynx, part 11Head & Neck Surgery, 1981
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: An evaluation of 209 patientsThe Laryngoscope, 1981
- Anti‐EBV serologic tests for nasopharyngeal carcinomaThe Laryngoscope, 1980