Useful Application of Immunostaining to Malignant Pleural Effusion among Lao People in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

Background: Pathology and laboratory medicine (PALM) services are limited in low-resource countries, such as Lao PDR. Patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) are not properly diagnosed and treated in these situations. The purpose of this study is to confirm the usefulness of immunocytochemistry in MPE to identify the histological type and probable primary site of cancer of MPE and to discuss its usefulness in low-resource countries, such as Laos.