Objective  To analyze the clinical efficacy of recombinant human endostatin combined with nedaplatin in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) complicated with malignant pleural effusion.

  Methods  Ninety-two patients with malignant pleural effusion and NSCLC were randomly divided into control group and observation group, with 46 cases in each group. The control group was given intravesical instillation of nedaplatin, while the experimental group was given recombinant human endostatin by intravenous drip on the basis of the control group. After 4 consecutive cycles of treatment, the control rate of pleural effusion, clinical total effective rate, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in pleural effusion, neuron specific enolase (NSE) level, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCAg) level were compared between the two groups.

  Results  The total effective rate of the experimental group was 82.60%, which was significantly higher than 58.69% of the control group (P < 0.05). There was significant difference in the control rate of pleural effusion between the two groups (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in the levels of VEGF, NSE, CEA and SCCAg between the two groups (P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  Recombinant human endostatin combined with nedaplatin is effective in the treatment of NSCLC patients with malignant pleural effusion, which can improve the quality of life of patients.