FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF LYMPHOEPITHELIOMA-LIKE CARCINOMA OF THE PAROTID-GLAND - A CASE-REPORT

Lymphoepitheliomalike carcinoma is a rare primary neoplasm of the sali vary gland that has also been reported to occur in other primary sites . In this report we document the clinical, cytomorphologic and histolo gic findings of a case affecting the parotid gland. The patient mns a 48-year-old, white woman with a two-month history of a swelling on the left side of the face and associated pain. Physical examination and c omputed tomography revealed a left parotid mass with spread to the sup erior cervical lymph nodes. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the paroti d and upper cervical nodes revealed multiple, irregular aggregates of epithelial cells with a high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio and finely gran ular chromatin. Prominent, single, round nucleoli were present. Multip le chromocenters were also noted. These aggregates were found in a bac kground of abundant, benign, small and large lymphocytes. The patient underwent parotidectomy with radical neck dissection. Histopathologic examination of the parotid showed a poorly differentiated carcinoma in a benign lymphoid background consistent with lymphoepitheliomalike ca rcinoma, with metastatic tumor involving two lymph nodes of the paroti d compartment. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of FN A biopsy of this unusual entity. The cytomorphologic features of these neoplasms when aspirated from the salivary gland are sufficiently dis tinctive to allow a specific diagnosis of lymphoepitheliomalike carcin oma.