[Treatment and prognosis of superior vena caval syndrome in small-cell anaplastic carcinoma of the lung (author's transl)].

One hundred and forty nine consecutive patients with small-cell anaplastic carcinoma of the lung were studied retrospectively. 19 patients (13%) presented with superior vena caval obstruction, 11 further patients (7%) developed this complication during the course of their disease. 16 patients presenting with superior vena caval syndrome were treated with chemotherapy alone and 13 patients responded. Due to suboptimal chemotherapy for current standards 7 of the 13 successfully treated patients (54%) relapsed after a median of 4.5 months. 3 patients were effectively retreated with another chemotherapy combination, 4 patients with radiation therapy. Superior vena caval obstruction is a frequent complication of small-cell anaplastic carcinoma of the lung. It can be treated effectively with combination chemotherapy.