Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)

The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) is an organization that develops and uses a scale to assess how cancer affects a patient's daily activities. This scale helps doctors evaluate a patient's overall health, determine appropriate treatments, and monitor progress. The ECOG performance status ranges from 0 to 5, where 0 indicates full activity without symptoms, and higher numbers reflect increasing levels of disability or inability to perform daily tasks, with 5 signifying death. This standardized system ensures clear communication among healthcare providers and helps tailor treatment plans to each patient's condition.