{"entity":{"id":"talc-sclerosant","kind":"drug","name":"Talc (intrapleural)","aka":["Talc slurry","Talc poudrage"],"tldr":"Sterile talc is puffed or instilled into the chest cavity after fluid is drained to make the lung stick to the chest wall, stopping cancer-related fluid (malignant pleural effusion) from building up again.","summary":"Sclerosol intrapleural aerosol was approved by the FDA in December 1997 and sterile talc powder in 2003 to decrease the recurrence of malignant pleural effusion in symptomatic patients after drainage; talc has been the most effective pleurodesis agent in comparative trials and meta-analyses for decades. Poudrage at thoracoscopy and bedside slurry through a chest drain give similar success (TAPPS trial), and indwelling pleural catheters, with or without talc instilled through them (IPC-PLUS), are the main alternative for patients with trapped lung or short prognosis. Graded, large-particle talc is used to avoid the acute respiratory distress syndrome reported with small-particle preparations. Fever and chest pain after the procedure are expected.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-09-10","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurodesis","links":[{"label":"US label (DailyMed)","url":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=talc"},{"label":"NCI drug page","url":"https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs/talc"}],"tags":["nci-list","supportive"],"related":[],"cancers":["nsclc","breast-hr-positive","mesothelioma","ovarian"],"sections":[],"technologies":["palliative-care"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":["nct00002622","nct00002872","nct00821860"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"brand":"Sclerosol / Sterile Talc Powder / Steritalc","modality":"Sclerosing agent (intrapleural powder or aerosol)","supportive":true,"mechanism":"Sterile asbestos-free magnesium silicate that provokes an inflammatory pleuritis and fibrosis, sealing the visceral and parietal pleura together so that fluid can no longer accumulate.","approvals":[{"region":"US","year":1997,"indication":"Prevention of recurrence of malignant pleural effusion after drainage (Sclerosol aerosol; sterile powder 2003)"}],"mechanismSteps":[],"toxicity":[],"access":[],"regulatoryEvents":[]},"route":"/drugs/talc-sclerosant/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"breast-hr-positive","kind":"cancer","name":"HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer","route":"/cancers/breast-hr-positive/"},{"id":"mesothelioma","kind":"cancer","name":"Mesothelioma","route":"/cancers/mesothelioma/"},{"id":"nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/nsclc/"},{"id":"ovarian","kind":"cancer","name":"Ovarian cancer","route":"/cancers/ovarian/"}],"technology":[{"id":"palliative-care","kind":"technology","name":"Early integrated palliative care","route":"/technologies/palliative-care/"}],"trial":[{"id":"nct00002872","kind":"trial","name":"Bleomycin, Doxycycline, or Talc in Treating Patients With Malignant Pleural Effusions","route":"/trials/nct00002872/"},{"id":"nct00002622","kind":"trial","name":"Talc in Treating Patients With Malignant Pleural Effusion","route":"/trials/nct00002622/"},{"id":"nct00821860","kind":"trial","name":"Video-Assisted Surgery or Talc Pleurodesis in Treating Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma","route":"/trials/nct00821860/"}]}}