Performance Status Assessment by Using ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) Score for Cancer Patients by Oncology Healthcare Professionals

• Published in: Case reports in oncology Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 728 - 736
• Main Authors: Azam, Faisal, Latif, Muhammad Farooq, Farooq, Ayesha, Tirmazy, Syed Hammad, AlShahrani, Saad, Bashir, Shahid, Bukhari, Nedal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.09.2019; Karger Publishers
• Subjects: Cancer therapies; Case Report; Case reports; Chemotherapy; Consultants; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG); Health care; Karnofsky performance status (KPS); Lung cancer; Melanoma; Metastasis; Nurses; Oncology; Palliative care; Patients; Performance status; Questionnaires; Variance analysis; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG); Karnofsky performance status (KPS); Performance status
• ISSN: 1662-6575; 1662-6575
• DOI: 10.1159/000503095

Medical literature does not have clear consensus on inter-rater reliability of PS assessment by different oncology health care professionals (HCPs) although it plays an important role in treatment decision and prognosis for oncology patients. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores are commonly used for this purpose by oncology HCPs around the world. This study was conducted to find variability or similarities in assessment of PS among the different oncology HCPs. A survey based on four hypothetical clinical scenarios was devised and sent to 50 oncology HCPs to assess the PS using ECOG PS tool. No significant variations in PS assessment by oncology HCPs was noted in our study sample.