ABSENCE OF EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS IN LYMPHOEPITHELIOMA-LIKE CARCINOMA OF THE SKIN - POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION EVIDENCE AND REVIEW OF 5 CASES

Lymphoepithelioma is a lymphocyte-rich, poorly differentiated, nonkera tinizing carcinoma of the nasopharynx with distinctive clinical, epide miologic, and etiologic features. Histologically and immunophenotypica lly identical tumors arising outside the nasopharynx are designated ly mphoepitheliomalike carcinomas (LELCs), and have been described in the gastrointestinal tract, lung, salivary glands, thymus, and increasing ly in the skin. Despite similarities between LELC and nasopharyngeal l ymphoepithelioma, there is growing evidence that they are etiologicall y distinct. Serologic studies and molecular techniques have consistent ly demonstrated an etiopathologic association between Epstein-Barr vir us (EBV) and lymphoepithelioma and LELC of several locations, includin g stomach, salivary gland, lung, and thymus. Though histologically sim ilar, lymphoepitheliomalike carcinoma of the skin (LELCS) does not con tain EBV DNA by RNA in situ hybridization. Recently, techniques for po lymerase chain reaction (PCR) using fixed tissue have been described t hat to our knowledge have not been applied to LELCS. We studied five c ases of LELCS, taking advantage of the higher sensitivity of PCR to ev aluate the role, if any, of EBV specifically in the pathogenesis of LE LCS.