pronostic

Pronostic, commonly rendered prognostic in English, is an adjective and noun that describes aspects related to prognosis—the anticipated course and outcome of a disease or condition. The term derives from Greek pro‑, and gnōsis, meaning knowledge or knowing in advance. In medicine, a prognostic factor is any patient or disease characteristic that influences the future course, such as survival or risk of relapse, independent of the chosen treatment. Prognostic factors can be clinical (age, performance status), pathological (tumor stage or grade), or molecular (gene expression or biomarkers).

Prognostic models integrate multiple factors to estimate individual risk, often in the form of survival probabilities or risk scores. Tools such as nomograms or validated scoring systems help clinicians stratify patients by risk and inform planning and counseling. It is important to distinguish prognostic factors from predictive ones; prognostic factors relate to the overall course, while predictive factors indicate likely benefit from a specific therapy.

Limitations: prognostic assessments rely on data quality, population relevance, and statistical validation; they may change with new treatments. External validation and calibration are essential before clinical use.

Usage: outside medicine, the term describes signs or indicators used to predict outcomes; in meteorology or ecology, prognosis refers to forecasts of future conditions. Overall, prognostic information supports risk stratification, patient counseling, and research, but interpretation requires careful consideration of context and validation. See also prognosis, prognostic factor, predictive factor, and risk assessment.