Table 1.
Variables | MPE | BPE | P -value |
---|---|---|---|
Patients, n |
78 |
45 |
|
Mean age (±SD), years |
56.3 ± 12.5 |
55.6 ± 11.7 |
>0.05 |
Male/female |
36/42 |
34/11 |
>0.05 |
MPE |
|
|
|
Adenocarcinoma |
67 |
ND |
|
Squamous cell carcinoma |
5 |
ND |
|
Small-cell lung carcinoma |
6 |
ND |
|
BPE |
|
|
|
Tuberculous |
ND |
28 |
|
Parapneumonic |
ND |
12 |
|
Heart failure |
ND |
5 |
|
Diagnostic method |
|
|
|
Biochemistry |
ND |
30 |
|
Cytology |
50 |
ND |
|
Pleural biopsy |
6 |
8 |
|
Percutaneous biopsy |
12 |
4 |
|
Endoscopic examination | 10 | 3 |
aBPE, Benign pleural effusion; MPE, Malignant pleural effusion; ND, No data.