Karnofsky Performance Status
The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) was developed by Dr. David Karnofsky in the 1940s to measure the effect of chemotherapy on cancer patients. Dr. Karnofsky was a cancer researcher who spent his entire career at Memorial Sloan-Ketttering.
Its use has evolved over time to measure Quality of Life and the ability to perform everyday functions of life. It was also found to be a predictor of survival from metastatic cancer, and it was incorporated by Dr. Daniel Heng of the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Calgary, Alberta, as one of his six variables to predict risk of death from cancer. It has since been incorporated into the IMDC (International Metastatic RCC Consortium) Risk Score, formerly called the Heng Score, where it is still used as a predictor of survival. The IMDC Risk Score is also used to help determine qualifications for a patient to enter a clinical trial.
| Percent | Performance Status |
|---|---|
| 100 | Normal no complaints; no evidence of disease |
| 90 | Able to carry on normal activity; minor signs or symptoms of disease |
| 80 | Normal activity with effort; some signs or symptoms of disease |
| 70 | Cares for self; unable to carry on normal activity or to do active work |
| 60 | Requires occasional assistance, but is able to care for most of personal needs |
| 50 | Requires considerable assistance and frequent medical care |
| 40 | Disabled; requires special care and assistance |
| 30 | Severely disabled; hospital admission is indicated although death not imminent |
| 20 | Very sick; hospital admission necessary; active supportive treatment necessary |
| 10 | Moribund; fatal processes progressing rapidly |
| 0 | Deceased |
