Table 2.
Clinicopathological characteristics of study subjects
| Malignant pleural effusion N = 52 | Benign pleural effusion N = 23 | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years |
|
|
|
| Median |
68 |
73 |
|
| Range |
30 – 94 |
41 – 92 |
|
| < 60 years of age |
12 (23) |
4 (17) |
0.762 |
| > 60 years of age |
40 (77) |
19 (83) |
|
| Gender, n (%) |
|
|
|
| Male |
31 (60) |
17 (74) |
0.301 |
| Female |
21 (40) |
6 (26) |
|
| Smoking status, n (%) |
|
|
|
| Current or Former |
33 (63) |
17 (84) |
0.435 |
| Never |
19 (37) |
6 (26) |
|
| Pleural fluid, median (IQR) |
|
|
|
| Protein, g/L |
43.5 (37.0 – 48.0) |
40 (31.8 – 45.8) |
|
| LDH, IU/L |
390 (198.5 – 926.5) |
222 (168 – 322) |
|
| Glucose, mmol/L |
6 (4 -7) |
6 (4 – 8) |
|
| Light’s criteria classification, n (%) |
|
|
|
| Transudate |
5 (10) |
2 (9) |
1.00 |
| Exudate |
47 (90) |
21 (91) |
|
| Pleural fluid cytology, n (%) |
|
|
|
| Positive for malignancy |
29 (56) |
0 (0) |
<0.001 |
| Negative for malignancy | 23 (44) | 23 (100) |