Patients with advanced lung cancer may develop pleural fluid (medically known as “pleural effusion”). As the disease progresses, the pleural fluid may get progressively worse. A large amount of pleural fluid can cause breathing difficulties, chest pain, and other discomfort, which is extremely painful. At this time, the fluid in the chest cavity needs to be pumped out, which often has an “immediate” effect, and the difficulty in breathing improves quickly. The most important thing is to take active and effective anti-tumor treatment, only when the tumor is controlled, the pleural effusion will not come back.
For persistent pleural effusion, the doctor may consider injecting drugs into the pleural cavity, possibly chemotherapy drugs, or drugs that promote pleural adhesions, which can prevent the pleural effusion from coming back after the pleural adhesions are occluded.