Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung: case in which the patient has been followed up for 7 years postoperatively.

Primary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) of the lung is a very rare disease. There is very little long term follow-up data about this disease. A 60-year-old woman was found to have abnormalities according to a routine chest X-ray examination. She was admitted to our hospital in March 1998. Since a malignant tumor of the right lung was suspected, surgical resection was performed in April of the same year. Pathological diagnosis was LELC of the lung. Its pathological stage was T1N0M0 stage IA. It has been reported that this carcinoma is associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. However, the patient's tumor cells were negative for EBV as examined with RNA in situ hybridization technique. She is alive and has been free from recurrence of the disease over 7 years postoperatively.