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Review
. 2014 May;76(5):211-7.
doi: 10.4046/trd.2014.76.5.211. Epub 2014 May 29.

Malignant pleural effusion: medical approaches for diagnosis and management

Hae-Seong Nam  1
Affiliations
Review

Malignant pleural effusion: medical approaches for diagnosis and management

Hae-Seong Nam. Tuberc Respir Dis (Seoul). 2014 May.

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.

Keywords: Diagnosis; Disease Management; Pleural Effusion, Malignant.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Algorithm for the management of malignant pleural effusion. Adopted from Nam and Ryu, with permission from The Korean Association of Internal Medicine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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