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Pleural fluid analysis is a test that examines a sample of fluid that has collected in the pleural space. This is the space between the lining of the outside of the lungs (pleura) and the wall of the chest. When fluid collects in the pleural space, the condition is called pleural effusion.
Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 09/2014. A pleural effusion is a buildup of extra fluid in the pleural space, which is the space between the lungs and the chest wall. About half of people with cancer develop a pleural effusion. Cancer growing in the pleural space causes a malignant pleural effusion.