The clinical utility of joined detection of cancer ratio, cancer ratio plus, Interferon gamma (IFN-ϒ) & Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in differentiating lymphocytic pleural effusions

Abstract

Background: The differentiation between malignant (MPE) and tuberculous (TPE) pleural effusions should be considered in any patient with an exudative lymphocytic pleural effusion. A rapid precise diagnosis is valuable as the treatment and prognosis are totally different. The histopathological proof may shorten the time to differential diagnosis. But it may be invasive and costly. The aim of this study is to validate the clinical reliability of joined detection of cancer ratio (serum LDH to pleural ADA), cancer ratio plus (cancer ratio to percentage of pleural fluid lymphocytic count), pleural interferon gamma (pIFN-ϒ), and pleural carcinoembryonic antigen (pCEA) values to differentiate between lymphocytic pleural effusions.