Lymphoepithelioma of the Nasopharynx: Cervical Adenopathy Diagnosed Late

Abstract

A case of nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma in a 16-year-old boy is reported. Ten months elapsed from the first manifestation, swelling of the cervical lymph nodes, until the diagnosis was made. The first biopsy from the nasopharynx was negative. Four biopsies from the cervical nodes were negative. All the findings indicated infection, until the second biopsy from the nasopharynx disclosed the true nature of the disease.

The 4 negative cervical-node biopsies are remarkable. The most likely explanation is lymphoid overgrowth of the cancer tissue. The necessity of continuing to remove biopsies from swollen cervical nodes as well as from the nasopharynx is emphasized, all the more so as the disease is amenable to radiotherapy, if it is diagnosed in time.