ABSTRACT
Oral lymphoepithelial cyst (OLEC) is an uncommon lesion whose pathogenesis remains poorly understood. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of OLEC. Female patient, white, 62 years old, presented asymptomatic nodular swelling of soft consistency in the lateral border of the tongue. Under the clinical hypothesis of lymphoid tissue hyperplasia, an excisional biopsy was performed. Histopathological examination revealed a pathological epithelial-lined cavity and a cystic connective tissue capsule containing lymphoid tissue. The diagnosis of OLEC was established and the patient showed no signs of recurrence after surgical removal of the lesion.
Key words:
lymphoid tissue; oral diagnosis; cysts
A) 500 µm: pathological cavity lined by epithelium and dense fibrous connective tissue capsule with lymphoid tissue completely circumscribing the lining epithelium; B) 100 µm: cystic cavity covered by parakeratinized stratified squamous epithelium and presence of keratin in the cystic lumen; C) 100 µm: lymphoid tissue in the cystic capsule circumscribing the lining epithelium; D) 200 µm: secondary lymphoid follicles with prominent germinal centers amid the cystic capsule.HE: hematoxylin and eosin.