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Case Reports
. 2009 Jul 22;1(1):e16.
doi: 10.4081/rt.2009.e16.

Primary lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland in a North African woman

Soumaya Ben Abdelkrim  1 , Amel Trabelsi, Faten Hammedi, Monia Omezzine, Soumaya Rammeh, Atef Ben Abdelkader, Badreddine Sriha
Affiliations
Case Reports

Primary lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland in a North African woman

Soumaya Ben Abdelkrim et al. Rare Tumors. .

Abstract

Lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary glands is a rare neoplasm that is characterized by a non-neoplastic lymphocytic infiltration associated with an epithelial proliferation. It involves mainly the parotid gland. Racial and geographical factors contribute to the pathogenesis of this tumor. We report a case of a 70-year old woman from a non-endemic area who presented with several months history of swelling in the parotid region. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a parotid mass suggestive of a pleomorphic adenoma. The diagnosis of lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland was performed on the surgical specimen. A primitive nasopharyngeal carcinoma was ruled out by random biopsies of the nasopharynx mucosa. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was absent in neoplastic cells. We insist that, even in non-endemic areas and when clinical and radiological characteristics are not suggestive of malignancy, intra-operative frozen section analysis should be used in order to ensure the appropriate treatment.

Keywords: lymphoepithelial carcinoma; parotid; pathology..

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Magnetic resonance imaging showing a well circumscribed mass of the left parotid gland.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Lymphoepithelial lesion of the parotid gland (hema-toxylin-eosin, original magnification ×40). Islands of neoplastic epithelial cells (arrows) associated with lymphoid infiltration that occasionally form lymphoid follicles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The epithelial component of the lesion have a syncitial appearance and shows an obvious pleomorphism (hematoxylin-eosin, original magnification ×400).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Immunohistochemical expression of cytokeratin (×400).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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