Yin CJ, Wang GJ, Su XM, Li D. Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma misdiagnosed as lung squamous cell carcinoma: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2023; 11(32): 7876-7880 [PMID: 38073692 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i32.7876]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Dong Li, MD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Oncology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, No. 270 Rongdu Avenue, Jinniu District, Chengdu 610083, Sichuan Province, China. 13438078785@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Nov 16, 2023; 11(32): 7876-7880 Published online Nov 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i32.7876
Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma misdiagnosed as lung squamous cell carcinoma: A case report
Chang-Jie Yin, Guang-Jie Wang, Xiao-Mei Su, Dong Li
Chang-Jie Yin, Guang-Jie Wang, Xiao-Mei Su, Dong Li, Department of Oncology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Chengdu 610083, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Yin CJ collected all the data related to the case report and drafted the manuscript; Wang GJ and Su XM collected and produced the relevant pictures; Li D provided expert analysis and revised the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Dong Li, MD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Oncology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, No. 270 Rongdu Avenue, Jinniu District, Chengdu 610083, Sichuan Province, China. 13438078785@163.com
Received: August 12, 2023 Peer-review started: August 12, 2023 First decision: October 10, 2023 Revised: October 22, 2023 Accepted: November 9, 2023 Article in press: November 9, 2023 Published online: November 16, 2023 Processing time: 95 Days and 14.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (PPLELC) is an uncommon subtype of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, closely associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. The pathological features of PPLELC closely resemble those of SCC, which makes it prone to misdiagnosis. Surgical intervention constitutes the primary treatment approach for PPLELC.
CASE SUMMARY
This report describes a 44-year-old woman who was hospitalized for 1 mo due to left chest pain. Computed tomography revealed a mass shadow in the anterior basal segment of the left lower lobe, and a subsequent needle biopsy suggested SCC. The patient underwent radical tumor resection in the lower left lobe of the lung, and postoperative pathological examination indicated lymphoepithelial carcinoma, and the test for EBV encoded small RNA was positive. Following surgery, the patient was scheduled to receive four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy, using the paclitaxel + carboplatin regimen, but the patient refused further treatment.
CONCLUSION
PPLELC is an exceptionally rare subtype of lung SCC and is prone to misdiagnosis.
Core Tip: Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (PPLELC) is a rare subtype of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, closely associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. The pathological features of PPLELC bear similarities to those of SCC, which makes it prone to misdiagnosis. Surgery is the primary treatment for PPLELC. Here, we present a recent case of PPLELC at our hospital, initially misdiagnosed as SCC of the lung.
