Superior Vena Cava Syndrome

Figure 1. Superior Vena Cava Syndrome. The photograph shows massive engorgement of collateral subcutaneous veins of the chest and abdomen in a 58-year-old man with partial obstruction of the superior vena cava caused by small-cell lung cancer. The patient also had distended neck veins but minimal facial edema. The venous dilatation improved transiently with radiation therapy. The patient died several weeks after the photograph was taken.