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Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma

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Abstract

Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (PPLELC) is an extremely rare subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but differs from other NSCLC types. Most patients with PPLELC have almost no obvious clinical manifestations, and are often diagnosed in the advanced stage. Complete resection is the standard treatment for cases with early stage disease, while chemotherapy and radiotherapy are effective to some extent in late stage disease. High expression of PD-L1 in PPLELC tumor cells confers immunotherapy an important role in the treatment of PPLELC, and programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab may be optimal options for PPLELC patients. This review focuses on the clinical and pathologic features, treatment, and prognosis of PPLELC.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Zhejiang Province Medical Science and Technology Project (No. 2020ZH001).

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Author notes

  1. Ying Fan and Chenghui Li are co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The First Clinical College, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Fan

  2. Institute of Cancer and Basic Medicine (ICBM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Fan, Chenghui Li, Jing Qin & Hongyang Lu

  3. Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Fan, Chenghui Li, Jing Qin & Hongyang Lu

  4. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Diagnosis & Treatment Technology on Thoracic Oncology (Lung and Esophagus), Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 310022, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Fan, Chenghui Li, Jing Qin & Hongyang Lu

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  1. Ying Fan
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Correspondence to Hongyang Lu.

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Fan, Y., Li, C., Qin, J. et al. Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma. Med Oncol 37, 20 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-020-1344-3

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