Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin is a rare tumor with a microscopic resemblance to lymphoepitheliomatous tumors of the nasopharynx. A 62-year-old woman exhibited such a tumor on the nose together with regional lymph node metastases. Histologically, irregular islands of atypical epithelial cells unconnected to the overlying epidermis were surrounded by or mixed with numerous lymphocytes in the primary tumor. No squamous or glandular differentiation was present. Metastases to the submandibular lymph nodes appeared as glassy squamous cells that resembled trichilemmal keratinization. Staining of the tumor tissues with S-100 protein antibody revealed the presence of numerous short dendritic cells in clusters of epithelial cells. Total resection and adjunctive radiotherapy have led to a 6-year period free of recurrence. This is the second case report of this condition in Japan.