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Background Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) scores are used to quantify overall disease status and are widely used to stratify participants at clinical trial entry. Longitudinal ECOG-PS measurement between 2 tumor types may provide important data for patient management in community settings.
Objective To describe oncology patients’ performance status before and after their first course of chemotherapy.
Methods ECOG-PS scores from electronic medical records (EMRs) of 47 oncology clinics across the United States were retrieved. The included patients had breast, lymphoma, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancers and ECOG-PS scores within ± 14 days of initiation and completion of the first chemotherapy course. Descriptive statistics of ECOG-PS were analyzed and compared within tumor types (via the Wilcoxon signed-rank test) and between tumor types (via the Kruskal-Wallis test).
Results In all, 7,912 cancer patients were identified as having breast cancer, lymphoma, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, or lung cancer. At baseline, patients’ mean (SD) ECOG-PS scores were breast cancer, 0.51 (0.01); lymphoma, 0.82 (0.02); prostate cancer, 1.04 (0.05); colorectal cancer, 0.72 (0.02); and lung cancer, 0.97 (0.02). The percentages of patients with ECOG-PS < 2 at chemotherapy start were 94%, 86%, 78%, 89%, and 81% for each tumor, respectively; percentages at the end of the first course were 88%, 80%, 68%, 84%, and 66%, respectively. All pre- and postchemotherapy comparisons of scores between tumor types were statistically significantly different (P < .001), with the exceptions of lung and prostate cancer before chemotherapy, and lung, prostate, lymphoma, and colorectal cancers after chemotherapy. Changes of ECOG-PS scores from baseline to postchemotherapy assessments were statistically significant in all tumor types (P < .01).
Limitations The lack of a standardized method for collecting ECOG-PS scores in routine oncology practice led to the unavailability of scores for many patients.
Conclusions This study describes a national sample of community oncology patients’ performance status. Even though there was a significant drop in ECOG-PS scores from pre- to postchemotherapy, good ECOG-PS scores were maintained in a majority of patients. These findings demonstrate that ECOG-PS scores can be routinely assessed and can aid in decisions throughout chemo- therapy and in the planning for future treatments.
Funding Amgen Inc funded the study.
Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.
Background Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) scores are used to quantify overall disease status and are widely used to stratify participants at clinical trial entry. Longitudinal ECOG-PS measurement between 2 tumor types may provide important data for patient management in community settings.
Objective To describe oncology patients’ performance status before and after their first course of chemotherapy.
Methods ECOG-PS scores from electronic medical records (EMRs) of 47 oncology clinics across the United States were retrieved. The included patients had breast, lymphoma, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancers and ECOG-PS scores within ± 14 days of initiation and completion of the first chemotherapy course. Descriptive statistics of ECOG-PS were analyzed and compared within tumor types (via the Wilcoxon signed-rank test) and between tumor types (via the Kruskal-Wallis test).
Results In all, 7,912 cancer patients were identified as having breast cancer, lymphoma, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, or lung cancer. At baseline, patients’ mean (SD) ECOG-PS scores were breast cancer, 0.51 (0.01); lymphoma, 0.82 (0.02); prostate cancer, 1.04 (0.05); colorectal cancer, 0.72 (0.02); and lung cancer, 0.97 (0.02). The percentages of patients with ECOG-PS < 2 at chemotherapy start were 94%, 86%, 78%, 89%, and 81% for each tumor, respectively; percentages at the end of the first course were 88%, 80%, 68%, 84%, and 66%, respectively. All pre- and postchemotherapy comparisons of scores between tumor types were statistically significantly different (P < .001), with the exceptions of lung and prostate cancer before chemotherapy, and lung, prostate, lymphoma, and colorectal cancers after chemotherapy. Changes of ECOG-PS scores from baseline to postchemotherapy assessments were statistically significant in all tumor types (P < .01).
Limitations The lack of a standardized method for collecting ECOG-PS scores in routine oncology practice led to the unavailability of scores for many patients.
Conclusions This study describes a national sample of community oncology patients’ performance status. Even though there was a significant drop in ECOG-PS scores from pre- to postchemotherapy, good ECOG-PS scores were maintained in a majority of patients. These findings demonstrate that ECOG-PS scores can be routinely assessed and can aid in decisions throughout chemo- therapy and in the planning for future treatments.
Funding Amgen Inc funded the study.
Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.
Background Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) scores are used to quantify overall disease status and are widely used to stratify participants at clinical trial entry. Longitudinal ECOG-PS measurement between 2 tumor types may provide important data for patient management in community settings.
Objective To describe oncology patients’ performance status before and after their first course of chemotherapy.
Methods ECOG-PS scores from electronic medical records (EMRs) of 47 oncology clinics across the United States were retrieved. The included patients had breast, lymphoma, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancers and ECOG-PS scores within ± 14 days of initiation and completion of the first chemotherapy course. Descriptive statistics of ECOG-PS were analyzed and compared within tumor types (via the Wilcoxon signed-rank test) and between tumor types (via the Kruskal-Wallis test).
Results In all, 7,912 cancer patients were identified as having breast cancer, lymphoma, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, or lung cancer. At baseline, patients’ mean (SD) ECOG-PS scores were breast cancer, 0.51 (0.01); lymphoma, 0.82 (0.02); prostate cancer, 1.04 (0.05); colorectal cancer, 0.72 (0.02); and lung cancer, 0.97 (0.02). The percentages of patients with ECOG-PS < 2 at chemotherapy start were 94%, 86%, 78%, 89%, and 81% for each tumor, respectively; percentages at the end of the first course were 88%, 80%, 68%, 84%, and 66%, respectively. All pre- and postchemotherapy comparisons of scores between tumor types were statistically significantly different (P < .001), with the exceptions of lung and prostate cancer before chemotherapy, and lung, prostate, lymphoma, and colorectal cancers after chemotherapy. Changes of ECOG-PS scores from baseline to postchemotherapy assessments were statistically significant in all tumor types (P < .01).
Limitations The lack of a standardized method for collecting ECOG-PS scores in routine oncology practice led to the unavailability of scores for many patients.
Conclusions This study describes a national sample of community oncology patients’ performance status. Even though there was a significant drop in ECOG-PS scores from pre- to postchemotherapy, good ECOG-PS scores were maintained in a majority of patients. These findings demonstrate that ECOG-PS scores can be routinely assessed and can aid in decisions throughout chemo- therapy and in the planning for future treatments.
Funding Amgen Inc funded the study.
Click on the PDF icon at the top of this introduction to read the full article.