Lymphoepitheliomas are extremely rare outside the nasopharynx. Extranasopharyngeal lymphoepitheliomas may be located in the stomach or digestive tract, and only one single case of esophageal location has been found in our review. In many cases the tumor is related to Epstein-Barr virus infection. We report a case of undifferentiated carcinoma of the distal third of the esophagus in a 79-year-old man. Pathological examination of the esophagus revealed an undifferentiated carcinoma with lymphoid stroma (lymphoepithelioma). In situ hybridization of the neoplastic cells was negative for Epstein-Barr virus. To our knowledge, the present case is the first documented esophageal lymphoepithelioma in Western countries.
CarrK.A., Bulengo-RansbyS.M., WeissL.M., NickoloffB.J., BulengoS.: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin: A case report with immunophenotypic analysis and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr viral genome.Am. J. Surg. Pathol., 16: 909–913, 1992.
3.
TsaiC.-C., ChenC.-L., HsuH.-C.: Expression of Epstein-Barr virus in carcinomas of major salivary glands.Hum. Pathol., 27: 258–261, 1996.
4.
GulleyM.L., AminM.B., NichollsJ.M., BanksP.M., AyalaA.G., SrigleyJ.R., EaganP.A., RoJ.Y.: Epstein-Barr virus is detected in undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma but not in the lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the urinary bladder.Hum. Pathol., 26: 1207–1213, 1995.
KumarS., KumarD.: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the breast.Mod. Pathol., 7: 129–131, 1994.
8.
LinjawiS., LuqmaniY.A., ShoushaS.: Epstein-Barr virus-positive cells in normal duodenal, gastric and esophageal mucosa. J.Pathol., 173(suppl.): 149A, 1994.
9.
MacMillanC., KapadiaS.B., FinkelsteinS.D., NalesnikM.A., BarnesL.: Lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx.Hum. Pathol., 27: 1172–1179, 1996.
10.
MillsS.E., AustinM.B., RandallM.E.: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the uterine cervix.Am. J. Surg. Pathol., 9: 883–889, 1985.
11.
MoriM., WatanabeM., TanakaS., MimoriK., KuwanoH., SugimachiK.: Epstein-Barr virus-associated carcinomas of the esophagus and stomach.Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med., 118: 998–1001, 1994.
12.
NiedobitekG., HansmannM., HerbstH., YoungL.S., DienemannD., HartmannC.A., FinnT., PitteroffS., WeltA., AgnostopoulosI., FriedrichR., LobeckH., SamC.K., AraujoI., RickinsonA.B., SteinH.: Epstein-Barr virus and carcinomas: undifferentiated carcinomas but not squamous cell carcinomas of the nasopharynx are regularly associated with the virus.J. Pathol., 165: 17–24, 1991.
13.
NiedobitekG., YoungL.S., SamC.K., BrooksL., PrasadU., RickinsonA.B.: Expression of Epstein-Barr virus genes and of lymphocyte activation molecules in undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinomas.Am. J. Pathol., 140: 879–887, 1992.
14.
OdaK., TamaruJ., TakenouchiT., MikataV., NunomuraM., SaitohN., SarashunaH., NakajimaN.: Association of Epstein-Barr virus with gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma.Am. J. Pathol., 143: 1063–1071, 1993.
15.
PittalugaS., WongM.P., Ping ChungL., LokeS.L.: Clonal Epstein-Barr virus in lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung.Am. J. Surg. Pathol., 17: 678–682, 1993.
16.
ShekT.W.H., LukI.S.C., NcI.O.L., LoC.Y.: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the thyroid gland: lack of evidence of association with Epstein-Barr.Hum. Pathol., 27: 851–853, 1996.
17.
ShibataD., TokunagaM., UemuraY., SatoE., TanakaS., WeissL.M.: Association of Epstein-Barr virus with undifferentiated gastric carcinomas with intense lymphoid infiltration.Am. J. Pathol., 139: 469–474, 1991.
