Survival and pleurodesis response markers in malignant pleural effusion – The PROMISE study

Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common condition that indicates advanced malignancy, incurability and short life expectancy. While MPE incidence is increasing worldwide, prognostic biomarkers to plan treatment and to understand the underlying mechanisms of disease progression remain unidentified. Objective: To discover, validate, and prospectively assess biomarkers of survival and pleurodesis response in MPE. To combine clinical, radiologic, and pleural fluid biologic parameters in order to build a score that forecasts survival. Conclusions: The PROMISE score is the first prospectively validated prognostic model for MPE that combines biological and clinical parameters to accurately estimate 3-month mortality.