[Superior vena cava syndrome successfully controlled by metallic stent insertion]

We report 2 cases of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome inserted metallic-expanding stents into SVC after radiotherapy. Case 1: A 77-year-old man had been performed chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the adenocarcinoma of the lung since December 2000. The edema of the upper limbs, head and neck emerged in April 2002 and he was diagnosed SVC syndrome with contrasted chest computed tomography (CT). We inserted a metallic-expanding stent into SVC, and after that the symptom disappeared in 5 days. There was no recurrence of the symptom until he died 4 months later. Case 2: A 57-year-old man had undergone the right upper lobectomy for the squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in March 2003. Because of mediastinal lymph node metastasis, he had been performed radiotherapy. Head and neck edema appeared at the end of October 2004, and he was diagnosed SVC syndrome. We inserted a metallic-expanding stent into SVC on November and the symptom disappeared in 7 days. There was no recurrence of the symptom until he died 4 months later. After radiotherapy, the stent insertion to SVC should be performed promptly to relieve SVC syndrome due to relapsed lung cancer.