Pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusions.

Approximately half of all patients with metastatic cancer develop a malignant pleural effusion which is likely to lead to a significant reduction in quality of life secondary to symptoms such as dyspnoea and cough. The aim of pleurodesis in these patients is to prevent re-accumulation of the effusion and thereby of symptoms, and avoid the need for repeated hospitalization for thoracocentesis. Numerous clinical studies have been performed to try to determine the optimal pleurodesis strategy, and synthesis of the available evidence should facilitate this.