Table 1.
Patient characteristics a
| 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.