VEGFA and lung carcinoma: For pleural VEGF levels, the difference remained robust between TPE and lung cancer, between TPE and malignancy, and between TPE and transudative effusion with SMDs ranging from -1.05 to -1.47 (S10 Fig), from -1.30 to -1.53 (S11 Fig), and from 1.35 to 1.57 (S12 Fig) respectively.