A surgical approach to the treatment of pericardial effusion in cancer patients.

Pericardial effusion in patients with malignant disease often presents a difficult management problem. Effective therapy for the condition can prolong and improve the quality of life and permit further treatment of malignancies in previously compromised patients. Nonsurgical treatment of pericardial effusion, including repeated pericardiocenteses and radiation therapy, is associated with a significant failure rate and occasional complications. In our experience, surgical drainage of the pericardium is successful in controlling the effusion in over 90% of those treated. It is a safe procedure, even in patients with advanced disease. Survival duration after pericardial window formation is dependent on the underlying disease status and rarely is adversely affected by the surgical procedure.