Predicting survival in malignant pleural effusion: development and validation of the LENT prognostic score

The authors developed and validated a survival predictive score for patients with malignant pleural effusion using 3 large international cohorts of patients.  The LENT score is based on LDH level, ECOG performance status, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and tumor type.  Low risk patients had a median survival of 319 days, moderate risk group survival was 130 days, and median survival in the high risk group was 44 days.  Among the high risk patients, mortality at 1 month was 35% and at 6 months was 97%.  Use of this score may help in selecting appropriate interventions for this patient population.