Oncology Assessment Tools

The ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) scale rates a patient's functional status from 0 (fully active) to 5 (dead). It is used to assess a patient's ability to tolerate chemotherapy, determine clinical trial eligibility, and estimate prognosis. ECOG 0–1 generally indicates a patient who can tolerate standard treatment regimens.

Body surface area (BSA) correlates better with drug metabolism and clearance than weight alone. Most chemotherapy protocols express doses in mg/m². The most commonly used BSA formula is the Mosteller formula: BSA (m²) = √(height × weight / 3600). BSA capping at 2.0 m² is sometimes applied but remains controversial.

BSA-based dosing is an approximation and does not account for individual variation in drug metabolism, organ function, or body composition. Obese patients, in particular, may be under-dosed if BSA is capped or if ideal body weight is used instead of actual weight. Each institution should follow its own dosing guidelines.