Inpatient outcomes for lung cancer patients presenting with superior vena cava thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: A specific cause of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome, SVC thrombosis, is a rare but known complication in cancer patients. Early identification and management of SVC thrombosis in lung cancer patients may lead to improved patient outcomes and a reduction in healthcare costs.

METHODS: We studied the racial and socioeconomic differences, length of stay, total hospital charges, and all-cause mortality outcomes in patients with lung cancer with and without SVC thrombosis using data from the National Inpatient Sample. Statistical analysis was performed on STATA.

RESULTS: A total of 480,750 patients were hospitalized for lung cancer; 720 (0.15%) of these patients had SVC thrombosis. The lung cancer with SVC thrombosis cohort had a statistically higher proportion of Black patients. Patients with lung cancer presenting with SVC thrombosis had an increased hospital length of stay (10 vs 6 days, P  < 0.001) and cost ($117,320 vs $80,806, P  < 0.005) compared to those without SVC thrombosis. All-cause mortality in patients with lung cancer was 7.7% and the presence of SVC thrombosis significantly increased the odds of inpatient mortality (18.0%). Nonwhite races were associated with higher odds of mortality in lung cancer admissions.

CONCLUSION: Race, insurance type, and comorbidities impacted the likelihood of developing SVC thrombosis in patients with lung cancer. SVC thrombosis is a poor prognostic factor for patients with lung cancer. Further studies to evaluate these disparities are warranted.