CASE REPORT article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Hepato Pancreatic Biliary Cancers
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1620328
This article is part of the Research TopicIntrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: Emerging Insights from Pathobiology to Clinical Translation – Innovative Strategies, Challenges, and OpportunitiesView all 3 articles
EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS NEGATIVE LYMPHOEPITHELIOMA-LIKE CHOLANGIOCARCINOMA: A RARE TUMOR THAT DESERVES FURTHER EXPLORATION. REPORT OF A CASE WITH DISTINCT GENOMIC AND CLINICAL FEATURES
Provisionally accepted
Salvatore Corallo1,2*
Chiara Milani1
Alessandro Vanoli3,4Anna Gallotti5
ANNA PAGANI2Francesco Serra2
Marcello Maestri6Valentina Ravetta7
Angioletta Lasagna2
Paolo Pedrazzoli1,2Francesco Agustoni1,2- 1Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapy, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- 2Unit of Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
- 3Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- 4Unit of Anatomic Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
- 5Institute of Radiology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
- 6Division of General Surgery, 1, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
- 7Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
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Lymphoepithelioma-like cholangiocarcinoma (LEL-CC) is a rare variant of cholangiocarcinoma characterized by undifferentiated malignant epithelial cells and a significant lymphoid infiltrate. Due to its rarity, there is currently no established treatment protocol for LEL-CC, and limited data are available regarding the genomic landscape of this rare tumor. In this report, we present the case of an 84-year-old woman with a history of Hepatitis C-related cirrhosis who was diagnosed with EBVnegative LEL-CC. This tumor presented as a double primary tumor together with a moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, at the time of first diagnosis. After surgical resection, the patient experienced a relapse with intracolonic metastasis. Comprehensive genomic profiling revealed unique genetic features consistent with LEL carcinoma of other sites of origin. The genetic and clinical characteristics of our case highlight the need for further research on this rare variant of cholangiocarcinoma. Gaining insights into the molecular mechanisms behind this type of cancer could lead to the development of effective targeted therapies or immunotherapeutic approaches.
Keywords: Lymphoepithelioma-like cholangiocarcinoma 1, HCC-CC double primary tumor 2, intracolonic metastasis 3, EBV-negative cholangiocarcinoma 4, HCV-related cirrhosis 5
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 20 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Corallo, Milani, Vanoli, Gallotti, PAGANI, Serra, Maestri, Ravetta, Lasagna, Pedrazzoli and Agustoni. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Salvatore Corallo, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapy, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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