Superior vena cava syndrome. Clinical management

R. Goodman

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is an acute or subacute oncologic emergency with typical clinical features. The syndrome is almost invariably secondary to a malignant process. The treatment of choice is irradiation, but in resistant cases or in those instances in which radiation tolerance is achieved, either surgery or chemotherapy, or both, may play a crucial role. The major pitfalls in management relate to attempts to establish the site of obstruction and to obtain specific tissue diagnosis.