Superior vena cava syndrome

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome occurs in approximately 15,000 people in the US every year.[1]Wilson LD, Detterbeck FC, Yahalom J. Clinical practice: superior vena cava syndrome with malignant causes. N Engl J Med. 2007 May 3;356(18):1862-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17476012?tool=bestpractice.com Malignancy causes 65% of cases, lung cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma being the most common. 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 the younger population. 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.[7]Rice TW, Rodriguez RM, Light RW. The superior vena cava syndrome: clinical characteristics and evolving etiology. Medicine (Baltimore). 2006;85:37-42. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16523051?tool=bestpractice.com Malignant causes accounted for >90% of cases around 25 years ago, but there has been an increase in benign causes of SVC syndrome, reflecting increased use of intravascular devices such as catheters, pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy.[8]Schechter MM. The superior vena cava syndrome. Am J Med Sci. 1954;227:46-56. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13114214?tool=bestpractice.com