Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is the clinical expression of the obstruction of venous blood flow through the superior vena cava [1]. This syndrome was first described in 1757 by Hunter in a patient with a syphilitic aortic aneurysm [2]. In a 1949 review of 502 patients with SVCS, two-thirds had benign etiologies and one-third had malignant tumors as the underlying causes [3]. One-third of the benign etiologies were aortic aneurysms. Presently, 87%–97% of patients with SVCS have underlying malignant tumors [4], with about two-thirds being lung cancers of all cell types (small cell carcinoma, 38%; squamous cell carcinoma, 26%; adenocarcinoma, 14%; large cell carcinoma, 12%) [1].. Of patients with primary bronchial carcinomas, 3%–15% will develop SVCS [5], with right-sided tumors being more frequent.