Table 1.
Characteristics of the patients with pleural effusions in the present clinical study.
| MPE | BPE | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 145 | 117 | |
| Age (year) | 61.47 ± 13.09 | 54.17 ± 18.67 | .001 |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 81 | 79 | .054 |
| Female | 64 | 38 | |
| Colour of pleural effusion | |||
| Yellow | 81 | 76 | <.001 |
| Red | 53 | 19 | |
| Yellow-red | 11 | 19 | |
| Purulent/Chylous | 0 | 3 | |
| Laboratory result | |||
| Serum LDH (U/l) | 215.77 ± 101.95 | 174.44 ± 49.03 | <.001 |
| Pleural glucose (U/l) | 6.11 ± 2.39 | 5.50 ± 2.78 | .009 |
| Pleural protein (g/l) | 41.33 ± 10.17 | 45.51 ± 8.13 | <.001 |
| Pleural CEA (ng/ml) | 186.90 ± 271.77 | 1.34 ± 2.54 | <.001 |
| Pleural ADA (U/l) | 8.00 ± 3.77 | 19.21 ± 27.59 | <.001 |
| Cancer ratio | 32.96 ± 25.31 | 14.50 ± 9.37 | <.001 |
BPE: Benign pleural effusion; MPE: Malignant pleural effusion; CEA: carcino-embryonic antigen; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; Cancer ratio: serum LDH / pleural ADA.