Question:easy
Superior vena cava syndrome is most commonly caused by?
Superior vena cava syndrome is most commonly caused by?
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Think of the central, fast-growing, mediastinal lung cancer subtype.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Lymphoma
- Small cell lung carcinoma
- Non small cell lung carcinoma
- Secondary tumours
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
SVC syndrome is the clinical picture that follows compression or invasion of the superior vena cava: the patient develops swelling of the face and arms, engorged neck and chest wall veins, headache and breathlessness that worsen on bending forward. The question asks for the single most frequent underlying cause.
Almost all modern cases are due to cancer rather than infection. Within malignant causes, primary lung tumours dominate because the SVC runs right next to the central airways and right-sided mediastinal nodes. Of the lung cancer subtypes, small cell lung carcinoma is characteristically central and bulky and grows quickly, so it tops the list of specific causes of SVC obstruction.
Working through the choices: lymphoma is a recognised but less common malignant cause; non small cell lung carcinoma causes SVC syndrome but less often than the small cell type; secondary (metastatic) tumours account for only a minority. Therefore the best answer is small cell lung carcinoma.
\[\boxed{\text{Small cell lung carcinoma}}\]
Almost all modern cases are due to cancer rather than infection. Within malignant causes, primary lung tumours dominate because the SVC runs right next to the central airways and right-sided mediastinal nodes. Of the lung cancer subtypes, small cell lung carcinoma is characteristically central and bulky and grows quickly, so it tops the list of specific causes of SVC obstruction.
Working through the choices: lymphoma is a recognised but less common malignant cause; non small cell lung carcinoma causes SVC syndrome but less often than the small cell type; secondary (metastatic) tumours account for only a minority. Therefore the best answer is small cell lung carcinoma.
\[\boxed{\text{Small cell lung carcinoma}}\]
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