🎗️ Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)
The Karnofsky Performance Status scores a patient's functional capacity and self-care from 0 to 100.
KPS ≥70 generally indicates a patient able to tolerate active anticancer therapy, while <40 favors supportive/palliative goals (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim).
Paste the link in Slack, Teams, X, or LinkedIn — the preview image comes from this page’s Open Graph card.
When to use
Select the descriptor that best matches the patient; the tool returns the KPS value and a self-care band.
How it works
KPS is a single 0–100 ordinal scale in 10-point steps; ≥80 ok, 60–70 intermediate, 40–50 warning, <40 poor.
Key points
- KPS ≥70 generally indicates a patient able to tolerate active anticancer therapy, while <40 favors supportive/palliative goals (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim).
- KPS maps approximately to ECOG (KPS 90–100 ≈ ECOG 0, 70–80 ≈ ECOG 1) and the two are often used interchangeably.
- Performance status is one of the strongest independent predictors of survival across cancers.
References
- Karnofsky DA, Burchenal JH. The clinical evaluation of chemotherapeutic agents in cancer. 1949.
- Schag CC, et al. Karnofsky performance status revisited: reliability, validity, and guidelines. J Clin Oncol. 1984.
Worked calculation
The values below come from this tool's own example placeholders and are computed server-side with the formula shown on this page, so the arithmetic can be checked quickly. It demonstrates how to substitute values only — it is not clinical advice and not a real case.
| Performance status | 100: Normal, no complaints or signs |
|---|
→KPS100
- Self-care：Largely independent
| Performance status | 10: Moribund |
|---|
→KPS10
- Self-care：Fully dependent
Frequently asked questions
- What is Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)?
- The Karnofsky Performance Status scores a patient's functional capacity and self-care from 0 to 100.
- How is Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) calculated? What is the core formula?
- KPS is a single 0–100 ordinal scale in 10-point steps; ≥80 ok, 60–70 intermediate, 40–50 warning, <40 poor.
- When is Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) used?
- Select the descriptor that best matches the patient; the tool returns the KPS value and a self-care band.
- What are the key clinical points for Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)?
- KPS ≥70 generally indicates a patient able to tolerate active anticancer therapy, while <40 favors supportive/palliative goals (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim). KPS maps approximately to ECOG (KPS 90–100 ≈ ECOG 0, 70–80 ≈ ECOG 1) and the two are often used interchangeably. Performance status is one of the strongest independent predictors of survival across cancers.
- What are the limits and cautions when using Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS)?
- For licensed clinicians and clinical researchers. Interpret results with history, investigations and local protocols; not a diagnosis or prescription, and not a substitute for multidisciplinary decision-making or local guidelines.
- How is Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) calculated in practice? Can you show a worked example?
- Inputs: Performance status 100: Normal, no complaints or signs → Result: KPS 100（Self-care: Largely independent） Inputs: Performance status 10: Moribund → Result: KPS 10（Self-care: Fully dependent）