Totally implanted chemotherapy port catheters: literature review and report of four cases.

Totally implantable catheters tend to be the most popular choice because once installed they allow permanent access to a deep vein, which is gained by puncturing the port rather than a vein. In this article, we explain four cases of chemotherapy port complications: superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome in a metastatic colorectal cancer patient who presented with bilateral mastitis, snare technique for removal of migrated catheter line, carotid artery placement of a port in a 5-year-old child that was referred to our hospital from a pediatric center and adhesive port tip in the heart that finally we left the port . In SVC syndrome, treatment should be guided by the severity of symptoms, etiology of the obstruction, prognosis of the patient and treatment goals. We propose timely removal of port-a-cath following completion of intended chemotherapeutic regimen.