2.4.1. Analyses of Biomarkers Expression in Pleural Effusions

Three different groupings of patients were used in the analysis of ten different biomarkers, to compare biomarkers expression level between patients with malignant and benign conditions, and also to compare patients with different malignancies comprising malignant mesothelioma (MM) and various adenocarcinomas (AD). Differences in biomarkers expression level between different patient groups were evaluated by performing an unpaired t-test. Correlation analysis between shed SDC-1 and other biomarkers in paired pleural effusions were calculated by the Spearman r test.
