Cutaneous Lymphoepithelioma-Like Carcinoma: Report of Three Cases
Jane Manonukul MD*, Chanokpan Chotirat MD*, Waranya Boonchai MD**, Nusara Chomanee BSc*, Naree Choosrichom BSc*
Affiliation : * Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand ** Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
Background : Cutaneous lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (cutaneous LELC) is an extremely rare malignant neoplasm
with unclear histogenesis. Its histopathologic features are like those of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma occurring in the
nasopharynx and in visceral organs especially salivary glands.
Material and Method: The authors reported on one male and two female patients of cutaneous LELC with immunohistochemical
and electron microscopic study. All patients were of old age. All cutaneous LELCs in this report occurred on the patient’s face,
one of each on the eyelid, conjunctiva, and cheek.
Results : All resection specimens showed the typical histopathologic features of those of LELC, i.e. well-defined tumor
lobules mainly located in the dermis and extending into the panniculus. These tumor lobules typically displayed ill-defined
clusters/nests of large epitheloid cells with pale eosinophilic cytoplasm, atypical vesicular nuclei possessing prominent
nucleoli and were surrounded by dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. Immunocytohistochemically, these epitheloid cells
showed epithelial differentiation by the expression of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), P63, CK5/6 and CAM5.2 but were
negative to CK20, CEA and Ebstein-Barr virus (EBV). Squamous cell differentiation by the presence of desmosomes by
electron microscopic study was also noted in two patients (case 1 and 3).
Conclusion : The findings described above indicated that cutaneous LELC was a malignant neoplasm exhibiting squamous
cell differentiation.
Keywords : Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma, Squamous cell differentiation
