Lymphoepithelioma-like cholangiocarcinoma mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma imaging features in a young patient with Hepatitis B virus infection: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Lymphoepithelioma-like cholangiocarcinoma (LEL-CC) is a rare variant of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Only a few cases of LEL-CC have been reported, and the understanding of LEL-CC remains limited. Herein, we describe a case involving a 38-year-old Asian man with hepatitis B virus infection and LEL-CC. The patient's liver tumor was incidentally discovered during routine abdominal ultrasonography without obvious clinical signs or symptoms. Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed features of hepatocellular carcinoma and he underwent laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. Histologically, the liver tumor exhibited a lymphoepithelioma-like appearance and features of cholangiocarcinoma with Epstein–Barr virus infection.