Non-small Cell Lung Cancer with Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Effectively Treated with Implantation of Intravascular Stent and Chemotherapy--A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Superior vena cava syndrome is caused by obstruction of the superior vena cava due to a variety of malignant and benign entities. The most common malignant entities are lung cancer and mediastinal tumor. Conventional treatments include bypass surgery, external beam radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and medical treatment. In this report, we performed an intravascular metallic stent deployment and combined chemotherapy with Vinorelbine in a case of non-small cell lung cancer with superior vena cava syndrome. The tumor regressed and symptomatic improvement was achieved after 124 days of follow-up. However, stent migration was noted and possibly due to tumor shrinkage and subsequent luminal enlargement. The choice of stent size is critical and should allow for possibility of tumor regression.