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The differential diagnosis of dysphagia and dyspnoea with cervicofacial oedema is wide and includes diseases with variable prognosis that may require an urgent approach. This article presents the case of a middle-aged man who came to the emergency room referring to the symptoms described, with a history of central venous access established approximately 4 years ago. The patient was diagnosed with superior vena cava syndrome and treated with anticoagulants and removal of the catheter. After a week of admission with anticoagulation, the patient clinically improved with a considerable decrease in thrombus and pharyngolaryngeal and subcutaneous mucosal oedema. In the differential diagnosis of dysphagia and dyspnoea, we must also consider systemic diseases, and more specifically, these symptoms such as those described, and think about this entity because of its severity., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a clinical picture resulting from the obstruction of superior vena cava. SVCS usually causes symptoms and signs related to the head, the neck, the upper extremities and the upper thorax. We report a case of unusual clinical presentation of SVCS in a 25-year-old male patient who suffered from lymphoblastic lymphoma in childhood. Clinicians should be aware of abdominal wall presentations of SVCS especially in patients having undergone central venous catheterization, even years before. SVCS could be an emergency situation, requiring specific treatment or contraindicating surgical procedures.

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Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Patients with a solid tumor or hematologic malignancy are often addressed to emergency units for an acute respiratory complication associated with the underlying cancer or secondary to treatments. The current article is part of a thematic series: "Intensive care and emergencies in solid tumours and blood cancer patients" and will develop the following points: (1) malignant proximal airway obstruction and, more specifically, the role of therapeutic bronchoscopy; (2) superior vena cava syndrome by tumor compression and/or secondary to thrombosis (diagnosis, local and systemic treatments); (3) cancer-related pulmonary embolism (incidence, indications for low-molecular weight heparins and direct oral anticoagulants). Other respiratory emergencies will be dealt in the other articles of this series., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Oncological emergencies are defined as an acute life-threatening event in a patient with a tumor occurring as part of their complex treatment regimen or secondarily to their underlying malignancy. These events can occur at any time from the initial diagnosis of their cancer to end-stage disease. These oncological emergencies are broadly classified into four major categories; metabolic, structural, hematological and treatment-related causes; and can be encountered in any clinical setting, ranging from primary care physician and emergency department visits to a variety of subspecialty environments. This study aims to cover an in-depth review of the underlying pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and updated management protocol of most common emergencies belonging to the above-mentioned categories. An all-language literature search was conducted on 15th October 2021 and 10th March 2022, limited to 5 years on PubMed database using the following search strings: oncological emergencies, malignant spinal cord compression, febrile neutropenia, hyperviscosity syndrome, superior vena cava syndrome, immune related adverse events, tumor lysis syndrome, hypercalcemia of malignancy, corrected calcium, malignant pericardial effusion and chemotherapy extravasation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To summarize the clinical features, management and outcome of superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) associated with mediastinal malignancy in children. Methods: Clinical data of 42 children of SVSC associated with mediastinal malignancy in Shanghai Children's Medical Center from January 2015 to December 2021 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The clinical manifestations, pathological diagnosis, disease diagnosis process, and prognosis were summarized. Results: Among 42 children of SVCS associated with mediastinal malignancy, there were 31 males and 11 females. The age at diagnosis was 8.5 (1.9, 14.9) years. Cough and wheezing (33 cases, 79%), orthopnea (19 cases, 45%) and facial edema (18 cases, 43%) occurred most commonly. T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) was the most frequent pathological diagnosis (25 cases, 60%), followed by T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) (7 cases, 17%), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (4 cases, 10%) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (2 cases, 5%), peripheral T-lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Ewing's sarcoma and germ cell tumor (1 case each). Pathological diagnosis was confirmed by bone marrow aspiration or thoracentesis in 14 cases, peripheral lymph node biopsy in 6 cases, and mediastinal biopsy in 22 cases. Twenty-seven cases (64%) had local anesthesia. Respiratory complications due to mediastinal mass developed in 3 of 15 cases who received general anesthesia. Of the 42 cases, 27 cases had sustained remission, 1 case survived with second-line therapy after recurrence, and 14 cases died (2 cases died of perioperative complications and 12 cases died of recurrence or progression of primary disease). The follow-up time was 36.7 (1.2, 76.1) months for 27 cases in continuous complete remission. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and events free survival (EFS) rates of 42 children were 59% (95% CI 44%-79%) and 58% (95% CI 44%-77%) respectively. Conclusions: SVCS associated with mediastinal malignancy in children is a life-threatening tumor emergency with high mortality. The most common primary disease is T-LBL. The most common clinical symptoms and signs are cough, wheezing, orthopnea and facial edema. Clinical management should be based on the premise of stable critical condition and confirm the pathological diagnosis through minimal invasive operation.

Background: The mass immunization campaign against Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in more patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with concern for a vaccine reaction., Case Report: A 68-year-old man presented to the ED reporting an allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine. He initially noted swelling of his face, neck, and right arm after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. After his second dose of the vaccine, the swelling became more pronounced and prompted him to seek care. On examination, he had fullness of the neck and engorgement of the left external jugular vein, which were exacerbated when the patient raised his arms above his head, consistent with Pemberton's sign. Apart from the swelling of the head and neck, there were no other findings consistent with an allergic reaction. The presence of Pemberton's sign prompted a computed tomography scan of the chest with contrast, which revealed a paratracheal mass measuring 4.5 × 2.0 cm with marked narrowing of the superior vena cava (SVC). The patient was admitted to the hospital for SVC syndrome, and further workup revealed a non-small cell lung cancer. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Patients may misattribute their symptoms to a COVID vaccine reaction when they are, in fact, experiencing a more serious underlying disease. This case highlights the importance of a thorough physical examination and maintaining a broad differential diagnosis. In this case, the presence of Pemberton's sign raised suspicion for SVC syndrome, and prompted further workup., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Superior mediastinal syndrome (SMS) is a relatively common emergency in the practice of Pediatric Oncology. It typically results from the compression of large airways and superior vena cava by a swiftly growing mass. T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and germ cell tumor are the common etiologies of SMS in children. Occasionally, SMS can be an unexpected presentation of less common childhood cancers and a surprise for the diagnostic and treating teams. The present paper reports the diagnostic and therapeutic challenge of managing a 9-y-old boy with SMS resulting from mediastinal myeloid sarcoma. The presence of a sizeable intracardiac thrombus, in addition, contributed to the SMS. The initial pleural fluid cytology and image-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of the mediastinal mass were nondiagnostic. A thoracotomy was subsequently performed to debulk the tumor for symptomatic relief and obtain tissue for diagnosis., (© 2022. Dr. K C Chaudhuri Foundation.)

Hepatic "hot spots" in anterior paraumbilical hepatic segments of patients suffering from superior vena cava syndrome may be revealed by angio-computed tomography. They may be due to a collateralizing system, the epigastric-paraumbilical venous system (EPVS), which enters the liver as a "third inflow". We report a typical case emphasizing the role of the ensiform and inferior Sappey's veins which constitute typical anatomic components of the EPVS., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS part of Springer Nature.)

BACKGROUND Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a relatively rare etiology of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome, with only 24 cases reported in the literature. The characteristics, management, and prognosis of HL-associated SVC syndrome remain unclear. This case report describes nodular sclerosis classical HL and the associated clinical manifestations presenting as SVC syndrome in a middle-aged patient, and it summarizes the characteristics of HL-associated SVC syndrome. CASE REPORT In this case report, we present a 53-year-old Hispanic man with progressively worsening dyspnea, dry cough, facial and neck edema, and dysphagia. SVC syndrome was diagnosed, and pathology revealed nodular sclerosis classical HL. The patient was treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine. SVC syndrome improved, and repeated imaging showed that the lymphoma had decreased in size and had become metabolically inactive. CONCLUSIONS We reviewed the characteristics, management, and prognosis of HL-associated SVC syndrome, which may indicate more advanced and recurrent progression in patients with HL. This possibility suggests that physicians should provide urgent diagnosis and closer follow-up, and more aggressive therapies may be needed because of the high risk of recurrence. Therapy may induce late-onset SVC syndrome in patients with HL.

Pulmonary nocardiosis is a common disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)infected patients. In most cases, the disease progresses slowly. Here, we have presented a case of pulmonary nocardiosis that rapidly progressed. A 35-year-old woman with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome, who was previously lost to follow-up, presented to our hospital chronic non-productive cough. Her CD4 count was 33 cells/µL (4%). Chest X-ray revealed opacity in the right upper lobe of the lung, and the results of sputum acid-fast staining were negative. Anti-tuberculosis agents were prescribed. Two weeks later, superficial vein dilatation was noted on her chest wall and the chest X-ray revealed worse findings. Chest CT showed a heterogeneous mass measuring 9.6 × 9.8 × 8.3 cm in the right lung. Further, necrotic mediastinal nodes nearly obliterated the SVC. Gram-positive beaded branching filamentous organisms were identified in the sputum by modified acid-fast staining. Hence, she was diagnosed with pulmonary nocardiosis. Culture results confirmed the presence of Nocardia beijingensis with SVC syndrome. She responded to treatment. After 2 weeks of parenteral administration, we switched her to oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, which was later followed by antiretroviral agents.

Background: Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome includes the clinical sequalae of facial and bilateral upper extremity edema, dizziness, and occasional syncope. Historically, most cases have been associated with malignancy and treatment is palliative. However, cardiac device leads have been identified as important nonmalignant causes of this syndrome. There are little data on the effectiveness of venoplasty and lead extraction in the management of these patients., Objective: The objective of this study was to report the findings associated with the use of balloon angioplasty and lead extraction in the management of 17 patients with lead induced SVC syndrome., Methods: Data collected from January 2003 to July 2019 identified 17 cases of SVC syndrome at our tertiary center. Their outcomes were compared to a control group of patients without SVC syndrome. A P value of <.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Of the 17 patients, 13 (76%) underwent transvenous lead extraction and venoplasty. Three patients (18%) were treated with venoplasty alone, and 1 patient (6%) underwent surgical SVC reconstruction. In 10 patients (59%), transvenous reimplantation was necessary. Symptom resolution was achieved in all 17 patients and confirmed at both 6 and 12 months' follow-up. There was no significant difference in the rate of complications associated with transvenous lead extraction for SVC syndrome vs control., Conclusion: In patients with SVC syndrome, venoplasty and lead extraction are safe and effective for resolution of symptoms and maintaining SVC patency., (Copyright © 2020 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Changes of the hepatic subcapsular blood flow with the early appearance of hypervascularity near the falciform ligament are rare radiologic findings. They present most frequently in cases of superior vena cava (SVC) obstruction and are related to the recruitment of the cavo-mammary-phrenic-hepatic-capsule-portal and the cavo-superficial-umbilical-portal pathways. We present the case of a 52-year-old female patient with an highly aggressive retroperitoneal liposarcoma with SVC obstruction caused by external compression due to a mediastinal metastatic mass. The patient exhibited no symptoms of SVC obstruction due to the collateral cavo-portal pathways., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

A 25-year-old Indian man presented with low-grade fever followed by gradually increasing swelling of neck and face. Physical examination showed bilateral neck swelling, facial swelling and dilated veins in the upper chest. Superior vena cava (SVC) obstruction due to an underlying malignancy was suspected. CT thorax showed large saccular aneurysm with thrombosis of bilateral subclavian arteries of which the right one caused external compression of right innominate vein draining into the SVC. A history of recurrent oral and scrotal ulcers was obtained following which skin pathergy test was done, which was suggestive of a diagnosis of Behcet's disease (BD). He responded to treatment with steroids and azathioprine. This report illustrates that rare nonmalignant cause such as BD could also present with SVC obstruction., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Superior vena cava syndrome is the obstruction of blood flow through the superior vena cava.

In this study, we describe an intrathoracic microsurgical lymphatico-venous anastomosis as an alternative surgical technique for the treatment of refractory chylothorax in an infant. This procedure allowed us to restore enteral nutrition within days of surgery. At 3-year follow-up, there was no recurrence of pleural effusion., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

A 42-year-old female with end-stage chronic kidney disease, who was on maintenance hemodialysis for the last 3 years, presented with facial and upper-limb swelling of 2-month duration. A computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed significant stenosis of the superior vena cava (SVC). Following discussion in a multidisciplinary meeting, it was proposed to perform a repeat endovascular intervention to relieve the SVC obstruction and manage the migrated stent.

A 53-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of progressive, non-productive cough followed by occasional swelling of the face and upper extremities. Physical examination on admission revealed prominent superficial vessels at the neck and upper extremity swelling. Bronchoscopy revealed the superior segment of the right lower lobe was narrow but without visible mass; cell block and biopsy done revealed signet-ring cell carcinoma with an immunohistochemistry pattern favouring the primary site of malignancy as either gastric or of the pancreaticobiliary tree. However, CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with triple contrast revealed only slight gastric wall thickening; the pancreas was unremarkable. The patient underwent radiotherapy with noted improvement of symptoms. He was then discharged with plans for further work-up on an outpatient basis. This work highlights the importance of a comprehensive histopathological and immunohistochemical work-up which can help predict a site of origin to be able to provide the appropriate management., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is a group of symptoms caused by complete or partial obstruction of the flow of blood through the SVC. The obstruction is, in most cases, caused by the formation of thrombus or infiltration of a tumour through the vessel wall. The result is venous congestion that creates a clinical situation relating to increase in the venous pressure in the upper part of the body. Symptoms commonly associated with vena cava syndrome include cough, dyspnoea, swelling of the neck, face and the upper extremities and dilation of the chest vein collaterals. In this paper, we examine the case of a 50-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with 'sore throat' which can be easily misdiagnosed as a case of uncomplicated acute pharyngitis. It was a real challenge to diagnose our patient as SVC syndrome caused by bronchogenic carcinoma., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

A patient with a history of colon cancer was admitted to our emergency department due to progressive dyspnea, chest pain, and swelling of the upper limbs and face. A central venous port device had been implanted into the right subclavian vein for administration of systemic chemotherapy several months prior. Thoracic computed tomography scan revealed a 2.8 cm-long thrombus arising from the tip of the venous catheter, which completely occluded the superior vena cava in close proximity to the right atrium.