Nishijima et al reported the Chemotherapy Toxicity Risk Score (CTRS) for risk of severe toxicity associated with chemotherapy. The authors are from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Patient selection: age >= 65 years of age
Parameters:
(1) age of the patient in years
(2) cancer type
(3) planned chemotherapy dose
(4) planned number of chemotherapy drugs
(5) hemoglobin in g/dL and sex
(6) creatinine clearance in mL per min
(7) hearing
(8) number of falls in the past 6 months
(9) ability to take medications
(10) ability to walk 1 block
(11) social activity because of physical or emotional health
|
Parameter
|
Finding
|
Points
|
|
age of the patient
|
< 72 years
|
0
|
|
|
>= 72 years
|
2
|
|
cancer type
|
GI or GU
|
2
|
|
|
other
|
0
|
|
planned chemotherapy dose
|
reduced dose up front
|
0
|
|
|
standard dose
|
2
|
|
number of chemotherapy drugs
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
>= 2
|
2
|
|
hemoglobin and sex
|
male and >= 11 g/dL
|
0
|
|
|
male and < 11 g/dL
|
3
|
|
|
female and >= 10 g/dL
|
0
|
|
|
female and < 10 g/dL
|
3
|
|
creatinine clearance
|
>= 34 mL per min
|
0
|
|
|
< 34 mL per min
|
3
|
|
hearing
|
excellent or good
|
0
|
|
|
fair, poor or deaf
|
2
|
|
number of falls
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
>= 1
|
3
|
|
ability to take medications
|
without help
|
0
|
|
|
some help or unable
|
1
|
|
walking 1 block
|
not limited
|
0
|
|
|
limited to any degree
|
2
|
|
decreased social activity
|
none or a little
|
0
|
|
|
some, most or all of the time
|
1
|
total score =
= SUM(points for all 11 parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 23
• A score >= 10 is associated with an increased risk of significant toxicity.
