Scientists hunt for clues to predict when lung fluid dries up
NCT ID NCT02092155
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tracks 95 people with cancer-related fluid buildup around the lung who have a tunneled pleural catheter. Researchers measure a protein called TGF-B in the fluid to see if it can predict when the fluid stops draining on its own (pleurodesis). The goal is to understand who will achieve pleurodesis and how it happens, which could guide future care.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help doctors predict which patients will naturally stop needing their pleural catheter, potentially reducing unnecessary procedures.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study with no treatment being tested, so it won't directly improve outcomes. The findings may not apply to all patients with malignant pleural effusions.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 95 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Start date
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Jan 2014
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients of the interventional pulmonology team who receive indwelling pleural catheters for a malignant pleural effusion.
- Ages
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18 to 99 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria: * Pleural effusion (etiology fulfilling one of the following criteria): 1. Malignant effusion confirmed by cytology or pleural biopsy 2. exudative effusion in the setting of known malignancy with no other identifiable cause 3. Malignant effusion due to tumors that are historically rapidly responsive to systemic therapy (small cell lung cancer, hematological malignancies) will only be included if refractory to standard chemotherapy * 18 years of age * Symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, or chest fullness/chest discomfort * Demonstration of symptomatic improvement after therapeutic thoracentesis * Recurrent pleural effusion after therapeutic thoracentesis * Capacity to provide informed consent Exclusion criteria: * Projected life expectancy less than 30 days. * Radiographic evidence of trapped lung - persistent lung collapse with failure of the majority (\>50%) of the lung to reexpand following drainage of a pleural effusion * Previous lobectomy or pneumonectomy on the affected side * Patient receiving intrapleural chemotherapy * Chylothorax - pleural effusion with triglyceride levels \> 110 mg/dl or chylomicrons on lipoprotein analysis, most commonly due to trauma/obstruction of the thoracic duct * Parapneumonic effusion - pleural effusion associated with pneumonia * Empyema - infected pleural space as defined by purulent pleural fluid, positive gram stain, or positive culture * Inability to adequately perform pleural drainage at home * Uncorrectable bleeding disorder * Skin infection at the site of intended catheter insertion * Pregnant women - detected by spot urine testing prior to the procedure
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
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