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National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) for Mucositis

Grades oral mucositis severity from clinical appearance and functional impact.

National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) for Mucositis
Clinical / functional finding
ResultGrade 0

No mucositis.

When to use

  • Grading treatment-related oral mucositis severity in patients receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Formula

Direct clinical/functional grading (0-4) based on mucosal appearance, pain, ability to eat/swallow, and need for IV hydration, enteral/parenteral support, or airway protection.

Pearls and pitfalls

  • Later CTCAE versions (v4/v5) split oral mucositis into separate clinical and functional grading scales; this reflects the earlier unified NCI-CTC scale.

References

  1. National Cancer Institute. Common Toxicity Criteria, Version 2.0. Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, 1999.