The Challenge of Scoring Radiation-induced Lung Toxicity

After curative radiotherapy, all patients presented some radiographic abnormality. There was no correlation with lung symptoms. The assessment of radiation-induced lung toxicity differs depending on the scoring system used. Comparison of reports that use different scoring scales should be made with caution. A scale based on symptoms only, such as the NCI-CTC scale, may be more appropriate to evaluate long-term toxicity after curative radiotherapy for lung cancer.