Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)

Functional Capacity Group

Group AAble to carry on normal activity and to work; no special care needed.

Group BUnable to work; able to live at home and care for most personal needs; varying amount of assistance needed.

Group CUnable to care for self; requires equivalent of institutional or hospital care; disease may be progressing rapidly.

Clinical Context & Background

The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) Scale allows patients to be classified as to their functional impairment. This can be used to compare effectiveness of different therapies and to assess the prognosis in individual patients. The lower the KPS score, the worse the survival for most serious illnesses.

Primary Source EvidenceKarnofsky DA, Abelmann WH, Craver LF, Burchenal JH. The use of the nitrogen mustards in the palliative treatment of carcinoma. Cancer. 1948;1(4):634-656.

Formula Logic

Scale from 0-100 based on Activity, Self-Care, and Medical Requirements.

Reference Data

Score	Definition	ECOG Equivalent
100	Normal, no complaints	0
80 - 90	Normal activity with effort	1
60 - 70	Unable to work, varying assistance	2
40 - 50	Disabled, requires special care	3
10 - 30	Severely disabled / Hospitalized	4
0	Dead	5

Share This Calculator

Evidence-based oncology decision support. Verify with clinical guidelines.

Saved Results

Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)

Clinical Context & Background

Reference Data

Share This Calculator

Related Tools