Abstract
Pleural effusion (PE) is a common sign caused by various disorders. Microbiology, histology and cytology are reference standards for these disorders. However, these diagnostic tools have limitations, including invasiveness, high cost, long turnaround time, and observer-dependent. Soluble biomarkers in pleural fluid (PF) are promising diagnostic tools because they are mininvasive, economical, and objective. Recent studies have revealed that some cell-free nucleic acids (e.g., DNA, mRNA, microRNA, and lncRNA) in PF are potential diagnostic markers for many disorders. Here, we review the performance of PF cell-free nucleic acids for differentiating and stratification of PE.
Funding source: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Award Identifier / Grant number: 81860501
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Research funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81860501).
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Author contributions: Zhi-De Hu designed and supervised the study. Wen Zhao collected the data from previous studies and drafted the manuscript. Xi-Shan Cao, Yu-Ling Han, and Xu-Hui Wen provided administrative support and provided intellectual contributions to the manuscript. Zhi-De Hu and Wen-Qi Zheng critically reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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Conflict of interest: Not applicable.
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Ethical approval: Not applicable.
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