Abstract

Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scale, a clinician-reported measure, is used to assess patients’ functional ability and as a metric for trial eligibility. Glioma patients often have a degree of neurologic deficit which can invariably affect performance status. There is little research comparing KPS, patient-reported cognitive outcomes, and objective cognitive outcomes. 273 primary brain tumor patients enrolled in the NOB Natural History Study were included in this report. We evaluated Pearson correlations between KPS (range 40-100), dichotomized as Good KPS (KPS ≥ 90) and Poor KPS (KPS ≤ 80), and MDASI-BT cognitive symptom factor, NeuroQoL Cognitive Function t-score, EQ-5D-3L index score, and objective MoCA test. The majority of patients were white (81%), male (58%) with a median 50 years of age (range 24-79). Most had high grade gliomas (74%), 22% were on active treatment, and 55% had prior tumor recurrences. Providers reported a poor KPS in 37% of patients. KPS correlated with the MDASI-BT cognitive symptoms (r = -0.32), NeuroQoL (r = 0.39), and EQ-5D-3L index score (r = 0.55) (all p < 0.01). Patients with poor KPS reported moderate-severe cognitive symptoms on the Neuro-QoL Cognitive Function (40%), moderate-severe difficulty remembering on the MDASI-BT (37%), and difficulty with usual activities on the EQ-5D-3L (83%). In a subset of 27 patients, MoCA scores were assessed but no significant correlation was found with KPS (r = 0.19, p = 0.352). Patient-reported and objective cognitive dysfunction was seen in up to 36% of those with good KPS. These data demonstrate that perceived cognitive testing is associated with poor KPS but may also occur in those with good performance status. The results underscore the need for alternative measures of cognitive functioning to further explore the impact in those with good KPS and the use of the MoCA in a larger sample.

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