Table 1.
Demographic data.
| Pleural effusions | Number of patients | Male (%) | Female (%) | Age, median (IQR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benign | 93 | 63 (68) | 30 (32) | 68 (54–80) |
| Malignant | 74 | 23 (31) | 51 (69) | 68 (62–78) |
| Lung cancer | 43 | 14 (33) | 29 (67) | 70 (62–79) |
| Breast cancer | 8 | 1 (12) | 7 (88) | 64 (47–80) |
| Ovarian and fallopian cancers | 5 | 0 (0) | 5 (100) | 70 (66–78) |
| Other malignancies | 8 | 3 (37) | 5 (63) | 65 (63–77) |
| Cancer of unknown primary | 10 | 5 (50) | 5 (50) | 68 (52–80) |
| Malignant mesothelioma | 89 | 79 (89) | 10 (11) | 70 (63–78) |
|
| ||||
| Sera | Number of patients | Male (%) | Female (%) | Age, median (IQR) |
|
| ||||
| Benign | 66 | 52 (79) | 14 (21) | 59 (48–71) |
| Benign asbestos pleuritis | 24 | 23 (96) | 1 (4) | 62 (54–73) |
| Malignant | 74 | 44 (59) | 30 (41) | 61 (54–69) |
| Lung cancer | 44 | 34 (77) | 10 (23) | 63 (57–70) |
| Breast cancer | 9 | 1 (11) | 8 (89) | 56 (48–71) |
| Ovarian and fallopian cancers | 3 | 0 (0) | 3 (100) | 57 (45–64) |
| Other malignancies | 16 | 9 (56) | 7 (44) | 62 (52–72) |
| Cancer of unknown primary | 2 | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | 56 (50–61) |
| Malignant mesothelioma | 91 | 34 (37) | 57 (63) | 65 (56–69) |
| Epithelioid | 62 | 23 (37) | 39 (63) | 65 (54–71) |
| Biphasic | 13 | 4 (31) | 9 (69) | 57 (55–69) |
| Sarcomatoid | 10 | 8 (80) | 2 (20) | 63 (61–65) |
| Undetermined | 6 | 2 (33) | 4 (66) | 64 (55–70) |
Age (IQR: interquartile range) and patient subgrouping in the two analysed materials. The high proportion of female mesothelioma patients in the serum material is most likely due to environmental asbestos and erionite exposure, which relates to geographical distribution and has also been reported by others [36].