Abstract

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) of the esophagus is an extremely rare tumor and the prognosis is favorable. We present here a case an esophageal LELC that showed no definite progression for 5 years. An esophageal tumor was found during screening endoscopy for a 72-year-old asymptomatic Korean woman. At first the histology showed no abnormal findings. No treatment was done for the lesion. Five years later, a follow-up endoscopy showed the same tumor in the esophagus. The size and shape of the esophageal tumor seemed unchanged during the follow-up. The lesion was a round elevated lesion that measured approximately 2.5 cm in the lower esophagus. The covering mucosa looked smooth, but there were erosions on top of the tumor. Biopsy showed an undifferentiated carcinoma associated with a dense lymphocytic and plasma cell infiltration, which are typical findings of LELC. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2010;41:41-44)

• Keywords: Esophageal neoplasm, Esophagus