Pleurodesis as a Palliative Treatment for Malignant PleuralEffusion

Background: Malignant pleural effusion is characterized by the presence of malignant cells in pleural fluid or by the evidence of tumour tissue obtained directly from the pleura, it is mostly associated with malignant tumours of lung and breast About 15% of patients are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion. Patients with a massive pleural effusion tend to suffer from dyspnea, chest pain, dry cough or nausea. Pleurodesis is a palliative therapeutic procedure whose aim is to preclude the formation of fluid between parietal and visceral pleura in symptomatic patients where chemotherapy is not an option or has failed.