Tuberc Respir Dis.  2014 May;76(5):211-217. 10.4046/trd.2014.76.5.211.

Malignant Pleural Effusion: Medical Approaches for Diagnosis and Management

• Nam HS

• KMID: 1842966
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2014.76.5.211

Abstract

Malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) are the second leading cause of exudative pleural effusions after parapneumonic effusions. In the vast majority of cases, a MPE signifies incurable disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Considerable advances have been made for the diagnosis of MPEs, through the development of improved methods in the specialized cytological and imaging studies. The cytological or histological confirmation of malignant cells is currently important in establishing a diagnosis. Furthermore, despite major advancements in cancer treatment for the past two decades, management of MPE remains palliative. This article presents a comprehensive review of the medical approaches for diagnosis and management of MPE.

Keyword

Diagnosis; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Disease Management

MeSH Terms

Diagnosis*
Disease Management
Mortality
Pleural Effusion
Pleural Effusion, Malignant*

Figure

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  Figure 1 Algorithm for the management of malignant pleural effusion36. Adopted from Nam and Ryu36, with permission from The Korean Association of Internal Medicine.

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