title: Conversion of Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG) to Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), and the interchangeability of PPS and KPS in prognostic tools.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to assess whether the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status, and the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) are interchangeable individually or within two prognostic tools: the Palliative Prognostic Score (PaP) and the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a subset analysis of a prospective comparative study of functional and prognostic tools and clinician prediction of survival. We studied 955 patients with advanced life-limiting illnesses (cancer and noncancer) in the acute care and community settings. We used a descriptive statistical model and Spearman's rank correlation to assess these interchangeabilities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There is a direct positive linear relationship between the KPS and the PPS, and a direct negative linear relationship between these tools and the ECOG. Exchange of the KPS and the PPS was possible within the PaP and the PPI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PPS and the KPS can be used interchangeably as functional tools and within prognostic tools. The ECOG is interchangeable with the PPS and the KPS, but this interchangeability is population-specific.
authors.affiliation: Division of Palliative Care Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Edmonton Zone Palliative Care Program, Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: de Kock
authors.affiliation: Division of Palliative Care Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada T6L 0A3.
authors.forename: Mehrnoush
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirhosseini
authors.affiliation: School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Division of Palliative Care Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Palliative Care Services, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thai
authors.affiliation: Division of Palliative Care, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.affiliation: Edmonton Zone Palliative Care Program, Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Hue
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lesperance
authors.affiliation: School of Health Information Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Ju
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D010166:Palliative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis