Investigation and outcomes in patients with nonspecific pleuritis: results from the International Collaborative Effusion database

What is it about?

Non-specific pleuritis (NSP) is a finding often discovered when a biopsy is taken of the lining of the lung (pleural biopsy), to investigate the cause for abnormal fluid build-up around the lung (pleural effusion). There are many different causes for this finding and clinicians don’t always reach a diagnosis. In some cases, patients with this finding may eventually develop a cancer of the lining of the lung (a pleural based cancer), therefore it is important to understand which patients with NSP might develop cancer and should be followed up or undergo further tests. We compiled data from 12 hospitals across 9 countries to study this poorly understood condition. We discovered that in most cases, a diagnosis was never reached. Only a small proportion were eventually diagnosed with cancer (6%), and this would take on average 12 months before developing. Clinicians can use some clues to help predict which patients might develop cancer, for example occupational asbestos exposure or certain features on CT and ultrasound scans, but further research is needed in this understudied condition.

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