Lymphoepithelioma of the vocal cord

Lymphoepithelioma is a predominantly nasopharyngeal tumor with some incidence elsewhere in the pharynx. Occurrence in other sites is unusual. This report presents an example of a lymphoepithelioma arising in the vocal cord. The basal cells of the squamous epithelium lining the tonsillar crypts bear a close resemblance to the cells of this tumor, and they are intimately related to lymphoid tissue. It is our belief that lymphoepitheliomas arise from the basal zone and that the basal layer of epithelium even further afield might on occasion produce the lesion.