Patients who have pleural effusions typically undergo thoracentesis with examination of pleural fluid in their initial assessment. However, limited data are available on the diagnostic yield of pleural fluid bacterial cultures, fungal and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear and cultures in cancer patients.
Routine Microbiologic Studies of Pleural Fluid Specimens in Cancer Patients
Patients who have pleural effusions typically undergo thoracentesis with examination of pleural fluid in their initial assessment. However, limited data are available on the diagnostic yield of pleural fluid bacterial cultures, fungal and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear and cultures in cancer patients.