Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40836346›Full record

ArticleRespiratory research2025

Pleural fluid biomarkers to predict response to pleurodesis or indwelling pleural catheter for malignant pleural effusion: still a long way to go.

Katrine Fjaellegaard, Sina Ahmadzai, José M Porcel, Federico Mei, Jane A Shaw, Uffe Bodtger

Abstract readLetter
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Respiratory research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Integrating pleural PD-1Frontiers in immunology · 2026
    Article
  3. A patient-centred approach to malignant pleural effusion.European clinical respiratory journal · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Katrine FjaellegaardPulmonary Research Unit (PLUZ), Department of Respiratory & Internal Medicine, Zealand University Hospital Roskilde and Naestved, Naestved, Denmark. kafj@regionsjaelland.dk.
Sina AhmadzaiPulmonary Research Unit (PLUZ), Department of Respiratory & Internal Medicine, Zealand University Hospital Roskilde and Naestved, Naestved, Denmark.
José M PorcelPleural Medicine Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, IRB Lleida, Lleida, Spain.
Federico MeiUniversity Hospital Ancona, Ancona, Italy.
Jane A ShawSouth African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Immunology, Division of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Uffe BodtgerPulmonary Research Unit (PLUZ), Department of Respiratory & Internal Medicine, Zealand University Hospital Roskilde and Naestved, Naestved, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This letter summarizes the current literature on pleural fluid biomarkers that predict treatment response to chemical pleurodesis and indwelling pleural catheters in patients with malignant pleural effusion. We found evidence on pleural fluid biomarkers to be limited to a few small studies, where the biomarkers prognostic value was not tested in separate validation cohorts. Although low pleural fluid LDH, high glucose, and high pH levels are associated with pleurodesis success, no clinically valuable biomarker has been identified. Hence, further research on the inflammatory processes of malignant pleural effusion and during definitive pleural procedures is needed, as well as proper testing of potential biomarkers in separate model derivation and validation cohorts.

Indexed as

Catheters, IndwellingPleural Effusion, MalignantPleurodesisBiomarkersHumansPredictive Value of TestsTreatment OutcomeBiomarkersBiomarkersChemical pleurodesisIndwelling pleural catheterPleural effusion

Identifiers

PMID40836346
PMCPMC12366042

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.