title: Performance status of patients is the major prognostic factor at all stages of pancreatic cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the clinicopathologic factors and to elucidate the clinical importance of performance status on the outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data of 335 patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer who were treated and followed up between 2000 and 2010 were recorded from medical charts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age of the patients was 59 years (range 25-88 years) and 226 (67.5%) were male. The study group comprised localized disease (18%), locally advanced disease (36%) and metastatic disease (46%). The median survival of all patients was 280 days and the 4-year survival rate was 5%. Univariate analysis indicated that initial poor performance status of patients (PS 2-4) was significantly associated with shorter survival in localized (p = 0.015), locally advanced (p = 0.01), metastatic stage (p < 0.001) and in the whole group (p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses also showed the same findings except in local disease (p = 0.04 for locally advanced disease, p = 0.002 for metastatic stage, and p < 0.001 for all stages). In patients with poor performance status, severe weight loss (>10%) (p = 0.007), large tumor diameter (>3 cm) (p = 0.046), and especially metastatic disease (p < 0.001) were associated with significantly shorter overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The performance status of a patient is the major prognostic factor predicting overall survival for all stages of pancreatic cancer. Severe weight loss, large tumor, and metastatic disease were found to be unfavorable prognostic factors in patients with poor performance status.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, University of Istanbul, Capa, 34390, Istanbul, Turkey, faruktas2002@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tas
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Odabas
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kılıc
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keskın
authors.forename: Ibrahım
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yıldız
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome