Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the renal pelvis: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Lymphoepithelioma is an undifferentiated epithelial tumor primarily described in the nasopharynx and characterized by syncytial nests of malignant epithelial cells with a prominent reactive lymphoid infiltrate [1]. A carcinoma that shows similar histological features but arises outside the nasopharynx is called lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC). LELC has been described in a variety of organs including salivary glands, thymus, lungs, stomach, skin, uterine cervix, breast, prostate, and the urinary tract [2]. The renal pelvis is an extremely rare site for this tumor. To the best of our knowledge, only eight cases have been reported in the English literature and one case has been reported in the Korean literature [1-8]. We recently experienced a case of LELC arising in the right renal pelvis in a 65-year-old woman.