Bruera et al developed an indicator of poor prognosis in patients with terminal cancer. The indicator uses data that can be easily acquired in most settings. The authors were from the Edmonton General Hospital in Canada.
Indicator of poor prognosis is the presence of all 3 of the following:
(1) weight loss during the past 6 months of >= 10 kg
(2) cognitive failure, as demonstrated by a Mini-Mental State score of < 24
(3) dysphagia for solids or liquids
Interpretation:
• Patients with all 3 indicators survived <= 4 weeks.
• Patients with 0-2 of the indicators survived > 4 weeks.
• The accuracy was found to be 74% and was similar to the performance of experienced physicians.
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