ArticleTherapeutic advances in respiratory disease
Pleural fluid carbohydrate antigen 72-4 and malignant pleural effusion: a diagnostic test accuracy study.
Article in Therapeutic advances in respiratory disease. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid carbohydrate antigen 72-4 for malignant pleural effusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Translational cancer research · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe prognosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is poor. A timely and accurate diagnosis is the prerequisite for managing MPE patients. Carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) is a diagnostic tool for MPE.
objectiveWe aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid CA72-4 for MPE.
designA prospective, preregistered, and double-blind diagnostic test accuracy study.
methodsWe prospectively enrolled participants with undiagnosed pleural effusions from two centers in China (Hohhot and Changshu). CA72-4 concentration in pleural fluid was measured by electrochemiluminescence. Its diagnostic accuracy for MPE was evaluated by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The net benefit of CA72-4 was determined by a decision curve analysis (DCA).
resultsIn all, 153 participants were enrolled in the Hohhot cohort, and 58 were enrolled in the Changshu cohort. In both cohorts, MPE patients had significantly higher CA72-4 levels than benign pleural effusion (BPE) patients. At a cutoff value of 8 U/mL, pleural fluid CA72-4 had a sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.46, 1.00, and 0.79, respectively, in the Hohhot cohort. In the Changshu cohort, CA72-4 had a sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 0.27, 0.94, and 0.86, respectively. DCA revealed the relatively high net benefit of CA72-4 determination. In patients with negative cytology, the AUC of CA72-4 was 0.67.
conclusionPleural fluid CA72-4 helps differentiate MPE and BPE in patients with undiagnosed pleural effusions.
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