Ps. Gillum et al., ABSENCE OF EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS IN LYMPHOEPITHELIOMA-LIKE CARCINOMA OF THE SKIN - POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION EVIDENCE AND REVIEW OF 5 CASES, The American journal of dermatopathology, 18(5), 1996, pp. 478-482
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.