Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma with Special Reference to Nasopharynx.

Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma (LEC) Is A Unique Subset Of Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, With A Marked Geographical Variation Is Shown In Incidence. Although LEC Is Rare Worldwide,It Is One Of The Most Common Cancers In South East Asian Countries As Well As In China,Where It Has An Incidence Of 20-50 Per 100 000 Individuals1. The Incidence Of LEC In The Indian Subcontinent Is Not Well Documented ,But It Seems To Show Geographical Variation.LEC Is Generally Rare In India As Compared To South East Asian Countries,With The Exception Of Some Northeastern States, Mainly Nagaland2.The Present Study Compares The Incidence ,Age,Sex Distribution And Relationship Of EBV And LEC In Sporadic Cases Of LEC From India With World Statistics. Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma Is An Undifferentiated Neoplasm Arising In The Nasopharyngeal Mucosa. It Is Remarkable For The Striking Geographic Difference In Incidence As Well As Near Consistent Association With Epstein – Barr Virus. LEC Shows Bimodal Distribution With Peaks In Younger And Older Age Groups. It Shows Male Predominance. In Recent Years Histopathological Examination Requires The Use Of Accessory Diagnostic Methods Like Immunohistochemistry Which Detects The Phenotype Of Tumors.It Also Helps In Demonstrating The EBV Virus Association With Lympho Epithelial Carcinoma In Tissue Sections. Immunohistochemistry Is Also Very Helpful In Distinguishing Lymphoepthelial Carcinoma From Lymphoma When There Is Diagnostic Difficulty In Histopatholog