Abstract
Introduction: A child with cancer may have an oncologic emergency during one of the following situations: A) Primary manifestation of the disease. B) Diagnostic phase. C) During clinical evolution of the disease. D) Terminal stage.
Objective: To review our experience in the management of patients with lymphoma presenting with Superior Vena Cava Syndrome (SVCS).
Method: Retrospective analysis of clinical data of 44 patients younger than 15 years-old affected with lymphoma and treated at the Hemathology/Oncology Unit of the Clinical Hospital from Valdivia, between 1989 and 1999.
Results: 5 patients presented SVCS; 2 of them had Hodgkin lymphoma and 3 had no-Hodgkin lymphoma. The SVCS was the first clinical manifestation in 4 of them. During the emergency, all patients were treated with steroids and radiotherapy, observing 3 of them still alive and free of disease.
Conclusions: The SVCS is a rare complication in pediatric tumoral disease. It constitutes an oncologic emergency that we ought to know in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
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