[Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung]

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung was diagnosed in a 39-year-old Chinese woman. In situ hybridization of Epstein Barr virus-encoded small nuclear RNA 1 (EBER 1) detected strong EBER 1 signals in the nuclei of tumor cell specimens from the patient. After polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, electrophoresis identified the IR-1 region in this tumor as a positive sharp band, closely resembling Raji cells (Burkitt's cell line). The uniform and intense presence of EBER 1 in the tumor nuclei and the PCR products of EBV DNA in the tumor demonstrated that a high copy number of EB virus genome existed in the tumor, and indicated involvement of the EB virus in the pathogenesis of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung.