Karnofsky performance status
Oncology, staging and radiology
Also known as: Karnofsky index · Karnofsky-Index · Karnofsky performans skalası · Karnofsky performance status (0–100%)
What it is for
The Karnofsky performance status (KPS) rates functional ability from 100% (normal) to 0% (dead) in steps of 10, in three bands: A able to carry on normal activity and work (100–80); B unable to work, able to live at home with a varying degree of help (70–50); C unable to care for oneself, needs the equivalent of institutional or hospital care (40–0).
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| 100 | normal, no complaints, no evidence of disease. |
| 90 | able to carry on normal activity; minor signs or symptoms. |
| 80 | normal activity with effort; some signs or symptoms. |
| 70 | cares for self; unable to carry on normal activity or active work. |
| 60 | requires occasional assistance but cares for most personal needs. |
| 50 | requires considerable assistance and frequent medical care. |
| 40 | disabled; requires special care and assistance. |
| 30 | severely disabled; hospital admission indicated although death not imminent. |
| 20 | very sick; hospital admission and active supportive care necessary. |
| 10 | moribund; fatal processes progressing rapidly. |
| 0 | dead. |
Source
The clinical evaluation of chemotherapeutic agents in cancer
In: MacLeod CM (ed). Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Agents. Columbia University Press, New York 1949:191–205 (Karnofsky DA, Burchenal JH)
- Edition
- Karnofsky and Burchenal 1949 (scale introduced 1948)
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
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