Which syndrome results from a lung tumor compressing the superior vena cava, causing swelling of the face, JVD, and visible chest veins?

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When a lung tumor compresses the superior vena cava, blood from the head, neck, and upper extremities cannot drain properly into the heart. This obstruction raises venous pressure in the upper body, leading to facial swelling, neck vein distention (JVD), and the development of collateral chest veins visible on the chest wall. This constellation is the hallmark of superior vena cava syndrome, often caused by mediastinal or central lung tumors that press on the SVC.

Horner's syndrome, by contrast, arises from involvement of the sympathetic chain at the apex of the lung and presents with ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis—not primarily facial edema or JVD. Pancoast tumors are apex tumors that cause shoulder pain and Horner's syndrome rather than the venous obstruction pattern. A vague term like central tumors doesn’t specify the venous obstruction pattern seen in SVC syndrome.