ECOG Performance Status (PS) Calculator
Assesses how illness affects a patient’s ability to perform daily activities. For use by trained health professionals only.
- Scores range from 0 (fully active) to 4 (completely disabled). 5 denotes death.
- Higher scores indicate worse function and greater restriction in daily activities.
- Many clinical trials and treatment protocols require ECOG 0–1 or 0–2 for standard therapies.
Score & Interpretation
Select an ECOG category above and click “Calculate ECOG & Daily Activity Band” to see the score and a broad interpretation of daily functioning.
This calculator is for educational use by health professionals familiar with performance status scales. It does not provide medical advice to patients and must not be used as the sole basis for clinical decisions. Always follow local policies and consult oncology or palliative care specialists where appropriate.
The ECOG Performance Status (ECOG PS) is a simple 0–5 scale used to describe how a patient’s illness affects their ability to perform daily activities, such as walking, working, and self-care. It was developed by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and is also known as the WHO/Zubrod score.ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group+2Wikipedia+2
It’s widely used in oncology to decide whether a patient is fit enough for chemotherapy or other systemic therapies, to define eligibility for clinical trials, and to help estimate prognosis and palliative care needs.Wikipedia+2Cancer Research UK+2
ECOG Performance Status scale (0–5)
The standard ECOG definitions are:ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group+1
- 0 – Fully active
Able to carry on all pre-disease activities without restriction. - 1 – Restricted in strenuous activity
Ambulatory; can do light or sedentary work (e.g. office work, light housework). - 2 – Ambulatory, independent in self-care
Unable to work; up and about more than 50% of waking hours. - 3 – Limited self-care
Confined to bed or chair more than 50% of waking hours. - 4 – Completely disabled
Cannot carry on any self-care; totally confined to bed or chair. - 5 – Death
Higher scores (0–1) usually reflect good daily function and better ability to tolerate treatment; lower scores (3–4) indicate major dependence and high risk of treatment-related toxicity or limited benefit from intensive therapy.MDCalc+2Friends of Cancer Research+2
However, ECOG scoring is subjective and different clinicians may rate the same patient differently, so it should be used alongside a full clinical assessment, not in isolation.
