Progression-free survival

Progression-Free Survival (PFS) is a term used in the field of oncology to denote the length of time during and after treatment that a patient lives with the disease but it does not get worse. In a clinical trial, measuring the PFS is one way to see how well a new treatment works.

Definition

Progression-Free Survival is defined as the time from randomization (or start of treatment) to the time of progression or death from any cause. It is used as a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials for cancer.

Importance in Clinical Trials

In clinical trials, PFS is often used as a primary endpoint for the approval of a new therapy. The advantage of using PFS as an endpoint is that it requires fewer patients and a shorter follow-up period than overall survival, allowing for quicker and less expensive trials.

Criticism

Critics argue that PFS does not always correlate with a real benefit for patients, such as improved survival or quality of life. They also point out that the assessment of progression can be subjective.

See Also

• Overall survival
• Cancer
• Clinical trial
• Oncology
• Surrogate endpoint