Epidemiology
Malignant causes accounted for >90% of cases around 25 years ago, but there has been an increase in benign causes of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome, reflecting increased use of intravascular devices such as catheters, pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronisation therapy.[7] SVC syndrome occurs in approximately 15,000 people in the US every year.[1] Malignancy causes 65% of cases, most commonly lung cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Malignant causes of SVC syndrome are more frequent in middle-aged to older adult males, while benign causes are equally distributed across both sexes and more commonly seen in younger people. Infectious causes (especially syphilitic aortic aneurysm and tuberculosis) accounted for the majority of cases 50 years ago, but are now rare, especially in developed countries.[8]
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