Superior vena cava obstruction
Malignant and device-related SVC obstruction, the Yu severity grade, CT venography and getting tissue before steroids, and choosing between stenting, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Superior vena cava obstruction (SVCO) is compression, invasion or thrombosis of the SVC, raising venous pressure in the head, neck and arms.
- Malignancy causes most cases, usually lung cancer or lymphoma. Device-related thrombosis is the main benign cause and is rising.
- It is rarely an immediate threat to life. The emergencies are stridor (laryngeal oedema) and cerebral oedema. Everything else allows time to get a tissue diagnosis first.
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Sources
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Oncology and Palliative Care (superior vena cava obstruction)AU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Ltd
- eviQ Cancer Treatments Online (oncological emergencies: superior vena cava obstruction)AU/NZCancer Institute NSW
- Yu JB et al. Superior vena cava syndrome: a proposed classification system and algorithm for management. J Thorac Oncol 2008;3:811-4Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 2008
- Rowell NP, Gleeson FV. Steroids, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and stents for superior vena caval obstruction in carcinoma of the bronchus: a systematic review. Clin Oncol 2002;14:338-51Clinical Oncology, 2002
- Wilson LD, Detterbeck FC, Yahalom J. Superior vena cava syndrome with malignant causes. N Engl J Med 2007;356:1862-9New England Journal of Medicine, 2007
- Acute oncology initial management guidelines, version 4.0UK Oncology Nursing Society (UKONS), 2023 (next review 2029)
- ACR Appropriateness Criteria: thoracic venous occlusions, suspected superior vena cava syndromeAmerican College of Radiology, 2025
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback