FDG PET/CT in Primary Pulmonary Lymphoepithelioma-like Carcinoma

Abstract

Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas are extremely rare tumors with better prognosis than other types of non-small cell lung cancer. An 83-year-old man presented with cough and hemoptysis for 2 weeks. Chest CT images showed a cylinder-shaped lesion in the right upper lung. F-FDG PET/CT showed strong FDG uptake (SUVmax, 34.5) of the tumor with ipsilateral hilar lymph node metastases. Video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy was performed. Histopathologically, the tumor was composed of epithelial tumor cells with high proliferation index (80%) and abundant lymphoplasmacytic cells, consistent with lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma.