Superior vena cava syndrome is a blockage of the large vein that carries blood from the head, neck and arms back to the heart. It causes swelling of the face, neck and arms, swollen veins on the chest, headache and shortness of breath. It is usually caused by cancer in the chest, most often lung cancer or lymphoma.
Origin
The condition was first described by the Scottish physician William Hunter in 1757, in a patient whose enlarged aorta pressed on the vein. Today most cases are caused by cancers in the mediastinum, or by clots around devices such as catheters and pacemaker wires.
Significance in Asbestos Context
The superior vena cava runs through the mediastinum, the space between the lungs, surrounded by lymph nodes. Tumors there, especially small cell lung cancer, can press on or grow into it. Asbestos-related lung cancer can cause it, and mesothelioma occasionally does when it spreads into the mediastinum. Symptoms often develop over weeks and are worse when bending forward or lying down. Treatment depends on the cause: a stent can open the vein quickly, and radiation or chemotherapy treats the tumor, so doctors usually want a tissue diagnosis first unless symptoms are severe. Swelling that affects breathing, swallowing or consciousness is an emergency. For a family, superior vena cava syndrome may be the first sign of a lung cancer, or a sign that a known cancer has spread, and its records belong in the medical timeline.
Example Sentence
Her face and neck had been swelling for a week, and a CT scan showed a mass in the mediastinum pressing on the superior vena cava, later diagnosed as small cell lung cancer.
Related Terms
Mediastinum, Mediastinal Lymph Nodes, Small Cell Lung Cancer, Lung Cancer, Metastasis, CT Scan, Dyspnea
Notes
- Seek urgent care for new swelling of the face, neck or arms, especially with breathlessness.
- Ask whether a biopsy is needed before treatment, and how quickly it can be done.
- Keep the imaging and procedure reports; they help date the course of the disease.
In the research library
5 studies in our medical research library mention Superior Vena Cava Syndrome in the title or abstract. Among the most cited:
- Stent Implantation for Superior Vena Cava Syndrome of Malignant CauseF.A. Büstgens, R. Loose, J.H. Ficker, et al, 2017 · RöFo · cited 18 times
- Intermittent Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Secondary to Malignant Pericardial MesotheliomaS.A. Alwusaibie, J.S. Alsayigh, D. Alfaraj, et al, 2020 · Curēus
- Radiation therapy in the management of patients with mesotheliomaW. Gordon, K.H. Antman, J.S. Greenberger, et al, 1982 · International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics · cited 103 times
- First-ever Abscopal Effect after Palliative Radiotherapy and Immuno-gene Therapy for Malignant Pleural MesotheliomaA.R. Barsky, K.A. Cengel, S.I. Katz, et al, 2019 · Curēus · cited 16 times
- Mesothelioma with superior vena cava obstruction in young female following short latency of asbestos exposureA. Patra, S. Kundu, A. Pal, et al, 2015 · Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics · cited 2 times
The journals that publish most on it: Curēus (2), International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (1).
Category: Clinical Signs & Symptoms · All Lexicon terms A–Z
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