الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Summary Pleural effusion is a commonly clinical manifestation and even appears as an initial symptom. Because MPE could reduce the overall survival, it was vitally crucial to accurately distinguishing malignant from benign pleural effusion in order to manage MPE timely.Although cytology and pleural biopsy of pleural effusion (PE) are the gold standards for diagnosing malignant pleural effusion (MPE), these tools’ diagnostic accuracy is plagued by some limitations such as low sensitivity, considerable inter-observer variation and invasiveness. The assessment of PE biomarkers may hence be seen as an objective and non-invasive diagnostic alternative in MPE diagnostics. B7-H4 is a recently identified member of the B7 family of molecules which plays important roles in regulating the tumor microenvironment as it is shown to be an inhibitor of both innate immunity and T-cell responses. B7-H4 is reportedly expressed at high levels in many cancer tissues such as those of the breast, ovaries, lung, pancreas, renal cells, and stomach. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to evaluate B7H4 as a diagnostic marker in malignant pleural effusion. Patients and methods This study was carried out on 50 patients with pleural effusion who were admitted to Chest Department Tanta University Hospitals and Tanta Chest Hospital. |