Table I.
Baseline characteristics of the patients.
| Clinical characteristics | BPE, n (%) (n=46) | LA-MPE, n(%) (n=45) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years)a | 63 (22–92) | 68 (33–92) |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 31 (67.4) | 23 (51.1) |
| Female | 15 (32.6) | 22 (49.9) |
| Diagnosis | ||
| Tuberculosis | 22 (47.8) | - |
| Pneumonia | 19 (41.3) | - |
| Transudate | 5 (10.9) | - |
| Metastatic sites | ||
| M1a | - | 18 (40.0) |
| M1b | - | 27 (60.0) |
a
Median (range).
BPE, benign pleural effusion; LA-MPE, lung adenocarcinoma-associated malignant pleural effusion; M1a, separate tumor nodule(s) in a contralateral lobe, a tumor with pleural nodules or malignant pleural (or pericardial) effusion; M1b, distant metastasis.