Superior Vena Cava Syndrome in a Patient with Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report

Abstract

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome, a potential oncologic emergency, is closely associated with malignancy and right-sided lung cancer in particular. A case of SVC syndrome presenting with facial swelling, neck distension, and enlarged veins of the upper chest, which developed over a period of 5 weeks in a 46-year-old patient on a clinical trial with small-cell lung cancer, is reported. Computed tomography scan of the chest revealed slight enlargement of a superior conglomerate mediastinal lymphadenopathy and intramural thrombus of the SVC. The etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of the SVC syndrome are discussed.