A Case of Endoscopic Enucleation for Gastric Lymphoepithelioma-like Carcinoma / 대한소화기내시경학회지

ABSTRACT

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) is a rare cancer and it makes up about 1~4% of all gastric malignancies. The main histologic feature of LELC is a lymphoid stroma. LELC is rare in that its shape is similar to that of submucosal tumor (SMT). Although SMT can be divided into malignant and benign tumors, using endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and EUS-guided fine needle aspiration, there are still many cases that can't be discriminated, and it is especially difficult to obtain specimens due to the small size of SMT. There have been some recent trials to endoscopic remove small SMTs for the purpose of making an exact diagnosis and guiding therapy. We report here a case of gastric LELC that exhibited the features of a submucosal tumor, and this LELC was removed by endoscopic enucleation. We also briefly review the relevant medical literature.