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Gastrointestinal Complications (PDQ®)
Patient Version   Health Professional Version   En español   Last Modified: 04/22/2009
Table 1. National Cancer Institute’s Common Toxicity Criteria for Grading Severity of Diarrhea

Toxicity  0  1  2  3  4 
BMT = bone marrow transplant.
Patients without a colostomy None Increase of <4 stools/day over pretreatment Increase of 4–6 stools/day or nocturnal stools Increase of ≥7 stools/day >10 stools/day
None None Moderate cramping, not interfering with normal activity Severe cramping and incontinence, interfering with daily activities Grossly bloody diarrhea and need for parenteral support
Patients with a colostomy None Mild increase in loose, watery colostomy output compared with pretreatment Moderate increase in loose, watery colostomy output compared with pretreatment, but not interfering with normal activity Severe increase in loose, watery colostomy output compared with pretreatment, interfering with normal activity Physiological consequences requiring intensive care; hemodynamic collapse
For patients undergoing BMT None >500 mL to ≤1,000 mL of diarrhea/day >1,000 mL to ≤1,500 mL of diarrhea/day >1,500 mL of diarrhea/day Severe abdominal pain with or without ileus
For children undergoing BMT None >5 mL/kg to ≤10 mL/kg of diarrhea/day >10 mL/kg to ≤15 mL/kg of diarrhea/day >15 mL/kg of diarrhea/day Severe abdominal pain with or without ileus


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