Prognosis and Therapy of Tumors of the Lung with Pleural Effusion

Abstract

Of 625 bronchial carcinomas observed in the Radiotherapy Department of the Padua City Hospital from 1958 to 1964, only 70 cases (11 %) presented with pleural effusion. Statistical evaluation of therapeutic results suffers from some bias due to retrospective analysis and unplanned treatment. However, the plotting of the cases submitted to various treatment schedules may afford some tentative conclusions. 1) Although no more than thirteen of the cases have survived more than 12 months, there is evidence that radiation therapy on the primary tumor resulted in some life prolongation. 2) Intrapleural mechlorethamine, administered when the tumor has actually invaded the pleural space may add some further improvement, whilst it seems completely useless where the hydrothorax is due to mechanical reasons (e.g. lymphostasis and or atelactasis). 2) In cases of bacterial pleurisy, antibiotics must be injected intrapleurally. Only the individual patients who were treated by these simple therapeutic means have survived more than twelve months from the onset of pleural involvement.