A 62-year-old woman who is a heavy smoker has an advanced lung cancer that spread into her right third intercostal space posterior to the midaxillary line. If cancer cells are carried in the venous drainage, they would travel first to which of the following veins?
The superior intercostal vein is formed by the union of the second, third, and fouh posterior intercostal veins and drains into the azygos vein on the right and the brachiocephalicvein on the left. The azygos vein drains into the superior vena cava. The hemiazygos vein usually drains into the azygos vein.
Superior vena cava
Right superior intercostal vein
Azygos vein
Right brachiocephalic vein
Thorax: Blood supply