Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the histogenesis of lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) and its relationship with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Materials and methods: The expression of EBV was detected using in situ hybridization, and the CK5/6, p63, and p40 expression levels were detected using immunohistochemistry in 45 paraffin-embedded tissues from LEC.
Results: In 45 paraffin-embedded LEC tissues from 10 different samples, the positive CK5/6 signals were located in the cell membrane. The positive signals for p63 and p40 were located in the cell nucleus. In all LEC cases, the positive rates of CK5/6, p63, and p40 were 93.3% (42/45), 95.6% (43/45), and 93.3% (42/45), respectively. The positive EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) signals were located in the cell nucleus. In the 45 LEC cases, the expression of EBER was strongly positive with a positive rate of 100% (45/45).
Conclusions: LEC is closely related to EBV, and EBV plays an important role in the development of LEC. LEC showed positive squamous cell markers, indicating that the samples contain squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC). LEC is EBV (+) with nonkeratinizing SQCC, and this name better reflects the nature of this disease.