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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2018; 8(02): 58-62
DOI: 10.4103/ajm.AJM_135_17
CASE REPORT

CD4-positive lymphoepithelial-like carcinoma: Report of unusual case

Luaay Aziz
Department of Ent and Head and Neck Surgery, Healthpoint Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
,
Raya Saab
Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
,
Toufic Eid
Department of Radiation Oncology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
,
Mousa A Al-Abbadi
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
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Abstract

We are reporting an unusual case of lymphoepithelial-like carcinoma (LELC) in an 8-year-old female patient where the tumor cells showed unusual CD4 expression. The lesion was found in the left submandibular neck region, in the vicinity of the submandibular gland. The salivary gland was not infiltrated by the tumor, and the tumor exhibited a classic LELC with single and clusters of tumor cells surrounded by many hematolymphoid cells. The tumor cells revealed strong positivity for Epstein–Bar virus as confirmed by the EBER: Epstein-Barr Virus in situ hybridization (EBER-ISH) method of staining. Interestingly, the tumor cells expressed membranous immunostaining for the T-helper lymphocyte antibody (CD4) in addition to pan-cytokeratin. A brief discussion about this unusual finding is offered. The patient was treated as a case of Epstein–Bar virus-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma with excellent response.

Keywords

CD4 - Epstein–Bar virus - lymphoepithelial-like carcinoma - nasopharyngeal carcinoma


Publication History

Article published online:
12 August 2021

© 2018. Syrian American Medical Society. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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