[Left lung cancer accompanied with a persistent left superior vena cava; report of a case].

A 77-year-old woman who had been treated for tongue cancer, esophageal cancer and laryngeal cancer, 25 years, 8 years and 8 months before respectively, was referred to our department because of the pulmonary tumor. Enhanced computed tomography showed a nodule of 32 mm in diameter in the left upper lobe and persistent left superior vena cava (PL-SVC). She underwent left upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection, preserving PL-SVC. PL-SVC is a rare anomaly and may disturb the mediastinal lymph node dissection. Care should always be taken for the possibility of anomalous venous connection in performing thoracic surgery.