Key result
Prior radiation therapy linked to delayed SVC syndrome driven by venous fibrosis and chronic thromboses.
Why the study?
Radiation-induced superior vena cava syndrome is a rare cause of SVC syndrome distinct from malignancy-related compression and requires clinical characterization.
Case Report (n=1)
Highlights radiation-induced venous fibrosis and chronic thromboses as a non-malignant etiology for superior vena cava syndrome in patients with a history of radiation therapy.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Radiation-induced venous fibrosis may cause SVC syndrome after radiation; extends non-malignant etiologies but leaves open management implications.
A 69-year-old woman with a history of Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 17 was admitted to our hospital with 3 weeks of progressive dyspnoea on exertion. Her medical history and physical exam were concerning for superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome and while her workup did indeed reveal such, its aetiology was not due to a compressive mass associated with malignancy. Rather, she developed chronic thromboses in the setting of radiation-induced venous fibrosis. This case report details her case and explains the key clinical concerns, pathophysiology and incidence of radiation-induced SVC syndrome.
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Mehta et al. (2014) conducted a case report in Radiation-induced superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome (n=1). Radiation therapy (historical) was evaluated on Development of radiation-induced SVC syndrome. A 69-year-old woman developed superior vena cava syndrome due to chronic thromboses in the setting of radiation-induced venous fibrosis, decades after treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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