A rare cutaneous malignancy with poorly described clinical features: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin

Abstract

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma can be originated from different organs, including nasopharynx, larynx, stomach, salivary glands, lung, thymus, cervix and bladder. Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin is a rare malignancy with low metastatic potential and is defined by a histologic picture simulating indifferentiated nasopharynx carcinoma. There are only a few case reports in the literature and the clinical features of the tumor are not well described. It presents usually with flesh-colored or reddish firm nodules and plaques which are nonspecific. The head and neck region is the predilection site of the tumor, but it can be seen in many other areas. We present here an 84-year-old male admitted to the dermatovenereology department with a slowly growing purplish-red asymptomatic plaque, 2x2 cm in diameter which was diagnosed as lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin upon histopathologic examination. The tumor was excised and metastasis was not detected. Local recurrence was not observed in a one-year follow-up period. Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin should also be considered in the clinical differential diagnosis of slowly growing solitary nodules and infiltrated plaques. An other important feature of our case was the arm localization of the tumor which has been very rarely reported.