Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Apr;37(4):642-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2008.03.023. Epub 2008 Sep 26.

Predicting survival with the Palliative Performance Scale in a minority-serving hospice and palliative care program

Li-Chueh Weng  1 , Hsiu-Li Huang, Diana J Wilkie, Noreen A Hoenig, Marie L Suarez, Michael Marschke, Jan Durham
Affiliations

Predicting survival with the Palliative Performance Scale in a minority-serving hospice and palliative care program

Li-Chueh Weng et al. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) scores have shown potential for prognosticating survival in Caucasian samples, but have not been studied for prognostic value in cancer patients from minority groups. Using data obtained from a retrospective chart audit of 492 cancer patients admitted over an 18-month period to a minority-serving home-based hospice and palliative care program, we examined the relationship between PPS scores and length of survival (survival days). Patients with PPS scores of 10% to 30% had fewer survival days than those with scores of 40% and those with scores of 50% to 100% (median=6, 19, and 34 days, respectively; F=25.02, P<0.001). A PPS score of 40% serves as a reliable inclusion criterion for a study requiring two weeks for completion, whereas 50% to 100% is required for a three-week study. Findings from a predominantly minority sample are similar to those from predominantly Caucasian samples.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Kaplan-Meier survival curve by PPS groups (A) and by PPS scores (B). A. Kaplan-Meier survival curve by PPS groups. B. Kaplan-Meier survival curve by PPS scores.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Kaplan-Meier survival curve by PPS groups (A) and by PPS scores (B). A. Kaplan-Meier survival curve by PPS groups. B. Kaplan-Meier survival curve by PPS scores.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bruera E, Miller MJ, Kuehn N, MacEachern T, Hanson J. Estimate of survival of patients admitted to a palliative care unit: a prospective study. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1992;7(2):82–86. - PubMed
    1. Mackillop WJ, Quirt CF. Measuring the accuracy of prognostic judgments in oncology. J Clin Epidemiol. 1997;50(1):21–29. - PubMed
    1. Higginson IJ, Costantini M. Accuracy of prognosis estimates by four palliative care teams: a prospective cohort study. BMC Palliat Care. 2002;1(1):1. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Christakis NA, Escarce JJ. Survival of Medicare patients after enrollment in hospice programs. N Engl J Med. 1996;335(3):172–178. - PubMed
    1. Head B, Ritchie CS, Smoot TM. Prognostication in hospice care: can the palliative performance scale help? J Palliat Med. 2005;8(3):492–502. - PubMed

Publication types