Review of the Terminology Describing Ionizing Radiation-Induced Skin Injury: A Case for Standardization

Ionizing radiation causes injury to the skin that produces a complex clinical presentation that is managed by various paradigms without clear standards. The situation is further complicated by the fact that clinicians and researchers often use different terms and billing codes to describe the spectrum of cutaneous injury. There is, however, general agreement between the two most commonly-used diagnostic scales, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, and in their use to describe skin injury following radiation therapy. These scales are typically used by radiation oncologists to quantify radiation dermatitis, a component of the radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue family of diagnoses. In rare cases, patients with severe injury may require treatment by wound care or burn specialists, in which case the disease is described as a “radiation burn” and coded as a burn or corrosion. Further compounding the issue, most US government agencies use the term Cutaneous Radiation Injury to indicate skin damage resulting from large, whole-body exposures. In contrast, the US Food and Drug Administration approves products for radiation dermatitis or “burns caused by radiation oncology procedures.” A review of the literature and comparison of clinical presentations shows that each of these terms represents a similar injury, and can be used interchangeably. Herein we provide a comparative review of the commonly used terminology for radiation-induced skin injury. Further, we recommend standardization across clinicians, providers, and researchers involved in the diagnosis, care, and investigation of radiation-induced skin injury. This will facilitate collaboration and broader inclusion criteria for grant-research and clinical trials and will assist in assessing therapeutic options particularly relevant to patient skin pigmentation response differences.