EFFECT OF PREDNISONE IN THE TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT EFFUSIONS

About 30% of the patients with metastatic malignancy develop significant effusions in the pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial cavities.1 Rarely, the fluid has the characteristics of a transudate, as in some cases of mediastinal adenopathy, or a high content of fats, as in chylous effusions. More commonly, its physical properties resemble those of an exudate, with a specific gravity in the neighborhood of 1.016, a protein content higher than 3.5 Gm.%, and a high number of cells in the sediment. It was for the latter type of exudative effusions that the intracavitary administration of radioisotopes and alkylating agents was proposed; it was presumed that the effectiveness of this form of therapy was due to high local concentration of the cancerocidal agent coming into direct contact with the malignant tumor implants on the serosa surfaces.2In general, it is estimated that with either radioisotopes or chemotherapeutic agents it is possible