In medicine, the term prognosis refers to the attempt to predict the likely course of a disease. Thus, prognostic factors are the characteristics of patients and/or the disease that have a significant impact on this prediction of progression.
For example, the blood level of LDH is an important prognosis factor in cases of lymphoma. In oncology, the most commonly used prognostic factors include the patient’s general condition, tumor size, lymph node involvement, and the presence of metastases.
It is also common for the doctor to integrate all the prognostic factors of a particular case, aiming to establish the most appropriate treatment. This reasoning can be aided by tables, as in some cases of prostate cancer, or by computer programs, as in some cases of breast cancer.
