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Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status

Functional status scale used to gauge fitness for cancer therapy.

Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status
Performance status
ResultECOG 0

Generally fit for standard-intensity systemic therapy.

ECOG grade
0

When to use

  • Documenting functional status to guide chemotherapy eligibility, clinical trial enrollment, and prognosis discussions.

Formula

Ordinal scale from 0 (fully active) to 5 (dead), assigned by clinician judgment based on the patient's activity level and self-care ability; not an additive score.

Pearls and pitfalls

  • Simpler and more widely used in oncology trials than the 11-point Karnofsky scale, though the two correlate.
  • A change of ≥2 grades over a short interval often signals rapid clinical decline.

References

  1. Oken MM, et al. Am J Clin Oncol. 1982;5(6):649-55.