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Prognostic factors are the predictive factors for prediction of the course of disease in a patient. Prognostic factors for lung cancer will predict how good or poorly a particular patient may perform over the course of time.
Stage
Stage is one of the most important prognostic factor in a lung cancer patient. Higher the stage of disease, poorer is the expected prognosis.
Performance status
Performance status, meaning how well the patient can perform his
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or her day-to-day activities is a very important prognostic factor in lung cancer. Worse performance status patients generally have worse prognosis. Ambulatory patients have significantly better prognosis than non-ambulatory patients.
Recent weight loss
Recent weight loss is another important poor prognostic factor for lung cancer. Patients who have lost more than 5 percent of their body weight during the last 3 to 6 months preceding the diagnosis of lung cancer have poorer prognosis compared to those who have no history of loss of weight.
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