Malignancy and the benign lymphoepithelial lesion

The benign lymphoepithelial lesion of salivary glands is now considered the histological hallmark of a variety of clinical and pathological disorders affecting salivary tissues. Malignancy arising in the lesion is uncommon, but may take origin in either the epithelial or lymphoreticular components. Lymphomas and pseudolymphomas associated with salivary gland lymphoepithelial lesions have been predominately extra-salivary and strongly correlated with Sjögren's syndrome. Epithelial malignancy has not been associated with autoimmunity and with few exceptions has been of the anaplastic type. This report presents two patients with intra-salivary lymphomas arising in a benign lymphoepithelial lesion of salivary glands and a patient with anaplastic carcinoma arising in the epithelial islands of the lesion. The fourth patient manifested pseudolymphomatous lymphoreticular hyperplasia in lung and submandibular gland and illustrates the possible multiple organ involvement that may occur in patients with benign lymphoepithelial lesion, even without clinical evidence of concommitant autoimmune disorders.