Background: Malignant pleural effusions are commonly managed with tube tho-racostomy
drainage followed by chemical pleurodesis. Doxycycline, bleomycin and povidone-iodine
have been shown to be effective for intrapleural injection, although no agent has definitively
proved advantages over the other. The aim of the present study was to compare these three
agents in terms of response rate and side effects.