Routine Microbiologic Studies of Pleural Fluid Specimens in Cancer Patients

Patients who have pleural effusions typically undergo thoracentesis with examination of pleural fluid in their initial assessment. However, limited data are available on the diagnostic yield of pleural fluid bacterial cultures and fungal and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear and cultures in patients with cancer.We performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients who had new onset pleural effusions and underwent an initial...