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BACKGROUND: This study presents a summary of the clinical characteristics of non-nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelial carcinoma (NNPLEC), effects of combined modality treatment and prognostic value of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) load, with the aim of providing a reference framework for optimizing treatment practices and outcomes.METHODS: Patients with NNPLEC treated by our center between January 2000 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.RESULTS: In total, 728 patients were included. The lung was identified as the most common primary tumor site (64.0%), followed by the salivary gland (19.2%). A total of 539 (74.0%) patients underwent surgery, 459 (63.0%) received chemotherapy, and 361 (49.6%) were subjected to radiotherapy. The median follow-up time was 45 months (range, 6-212 months) and 5-year overall survival (OS) was 79.1%. Increased plasma EBV-DNA load of >513.5 copies/mL was predictive of disease progression, with a specificity of 98.1% and a sensitivity of 98.9%. In multivariate Cox analysis, N stage, surgery, and radiotherapy were independent prognostic factors for both OS and PFS. Radiotherapy significantly improves OS in comparison with no radiotherapy group for salivary LEC, while surgery significantly improves OS for pulmonary LEC.CONCLUSION: Based on our analysis, surgery and radiotherapy are associated with better OS and PFS for NNPLEC. Radiotherapy could be recommended for salivary LEC, while surgery remains the primary treatment strategy for pulmonary LEC patients. An increased plasma EBV-DNA load of >513.5 copies/mL is strongly predictive of disease progression, supporting the importance of regular evaluation of plasma EBV-DNA as part of the diagnostic routine.

Background The present study aimed to determine a treatment strategy and Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) target volume for major salivary gland carcinoma (SGC). Methods Patients with SGC treated at our cancer center between August 2009 and August 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Results The following primary tumor sites were identified: parotid gland in 61 (69.3%) patients, submandibular gland in 21 (23.9%) patients, and sublingual gland in six (6.8%) patients. Lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) was the most common tumor subtype that accounted for 23.9% of cases. A total of 80 (90.9%) patients received radical surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy. Eight patients (9.1%) received definitive radiotherapy: six patients with advanced-stage disease received induction chemotherapy (IC) combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), and two patients with early-stage disease received CCRT. Complete response was observed in these eight patients after treatment completion. The median follow-up time of all patients was 42 months (range: 4–129 months). No patient developed local recurrence. The 5-year overall survival, regional failure-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and progression-free survival probabilities were 84.1%, 95.6%, 75.3%, and 75.7%, respectively. Distant metastasis was observed in 18 (20.5%) patients, followed by regional 2 (2.3%) recurrence. Permanent facial nerve injury was confirmed in 31 patients by follow-up. None of the patients experienced facial nerve paralysis in the definitive radiotherapy group. Conclusions LECs may be sensitive to chemoradiotherapy, which may achieve a radical effect and avoid unnecessary surgical injury. IC combined with CCRT is expected to become a new treatment strategy for advanced LECs. The IMRT target volume delineation according to the surgical principles may be a more promising method with good clinical efficacy that is worthy of further study.