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Karnofsky Performance Status Scale
Clinician-rated functional status scale used to gauge ability to tolerate cancer therapy.
Karnofsky Performance Status Scale
Functional status
Result100 / 100
Able to carry on normal activity without special care.
- Karnofsky Performance Status
- 100
When to use
- Documenting baseline functional status before chemotherapy, transplant, or enrollment in clinical trials.
Formula
Single clinician-assigned value from 0 (dead) to 100 (normal, no complaints) in increments of 10, based on ability to carry out normal activity, work, and self-care.
Pearls and pitfalls
- A KPS of <=70 (or ECOG >=2) is frequently used as a threshold below which aggressive chemotherapy may be poorly tolerated.
References
- Karnofsky DA, Burchenal JH. In: MacLeod CM, ed. Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Agents. Columbia University Press; 1949:191-205.