Unmet Need of Objective Monitor to Evaluate Performance Status in Lung Cancer Patients

Context: Quality of life (QOL) of lung cancer patients can be improved by using modern technical tools. There is a necessity to develop a system which incorporates all the functions to evaluate severity of the disease and critical condition of the patients. There exists a need of an objective monitor for monitoring performance of lung cancer patients with parameters of HRV, SPO₂ and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR). A questionnaire-based survey was carried out in cancer physicians, surgeons and radiotherapists. Total 100 clinicians participated in this questionnaire, 35 medical oncologists, 35 oncosurgeons and 40 radiation oncologists. The analysis of this survey showed that presently ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) scale was preferred to KPS (Karnofsky Performance Status) scale (70% versus 30%) because of simplicity to remember. The popular parameters preferred among clinicians were SPO₂ (45%), 2D Echocardiography (30%), chest X-ray (42%). But for HRV test, all the clinicians (100%) rejected the availability of test facilities. SPO₂ and PEFR were also rated as mobile tools for assessing the performance. ECOG Scale was easier to utilize than KPS for understanding the performance Status in cancer patients. It is suggested that HRV, SPO₂ and PEFR could be an added value to improve the QOL in cancer patients.