Medical Thoracoscopic Thermal Ablation Therapy for Metastatic Pleural Tumors with Malignant Effusion: An Exploratory Retrospective Study.

Purpose: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is an intractable condition. The current mainstream therapies for MPE, ie, indwelling pleural catheter and pleurodesis, have some drawbacks. In this retrospective study, we explored the efficacy and safety of medical thoracoscopic thermal ablation (argon plasma coagulation, APC) therapy for metastatic pleural tumors with MPE.