PURPOSE: The results of treating @entity4264 by means of percutaneous self-expanding stent insertion or by means of radiation therapy were compared. @entity1 AND METHODS: Seventy-six @entity1 with @entity4264 who were treated by stent insertion were studied prospectively and 25 @entity1 who were treated by radiation therapy were studied retrospectively. A superior vena @entity4264 score was devised to measure treatment effectiveness. Speed of symptom relief and complications were recorded. End points in the study were recurrent obstruction or @entity204 . Asymptomatic survival times were compared by log rank and Mann Whitney tests of significance, as well as Kaplan-Meier analysis. A subgroup of 26 @entity1 who were treated by stent placement only were compared with the radiation therapy group and analyzed separately. RESULTS: There were seven complications in the overall stent group, one in the stent-only group, and 25 in the radiation therapy group. Stent insertion provided faster relief of symptoms and significantly greater improvement in the superior vena @entity4264 score than radiation therapy (P < .001, Mann-Whitney U test). A Kaplan-Meier analysis of asymptomatic survival demonstrated that significantly fewer @entity1 in the overall and stent-only groups developed recurrent symptoms (P = .0005 and .001, respectively, log rank test). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that percutaneous stent insertion in @entity4264 fulfills the requirements of a palliative procedure significantly better than radiation therapy and that it should be the procedure of first choice.

Treatment of XXXX : metal stents or radiation therapy.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'PATIENTS'] @entity4264 :: ('MESH:D013479', 'Disease') :: ['malignant superior vena cava obstruction', 'cava obstruction'] @entity204 :: ('MESH:D003643', 'Disease') :: ['death']
@entity4264 :: (MESH:D013479,Disease) :: ['malignant superior vena cava obstruction']
