Laterality--Brain and CNS: When a meningioma extends to both right and left sides, is laterality coded 4 for bilateral or 9 for midline? See Discussion.
Operative Findings: Bilateral frontal craniotomies for excision of giant meningioma which extended onto optic chiasm.
Path: Bifrontal tumor, 6.5 cm meningotheliomatous meningioma.
If it is not possible to determine whether the meningioma originated on the left or the right, assign code 4 [Bilateral involvement, lateral origin unknown; stated to be single primary].
First course treatment--Prostate: If a patient has a prostatectomy and the margins are positive, then several months later radiation is given because the PSA levels never decreased or have risen, is the radiation coded as first course of treatment or subsequent treatment?
Record the radiation as first course of treatment even though it was delayed for several months.
Radiation is highly effective when there is a small or microscopic amount of tissue left at the margin following prostatectomy. In most regions, radiation therapy is the standard of care for positive margins at prostatectomy.
MP/H Rules--Breast: What histology code is used for lobular with focal ductal features? Do we ignore the focal features and code as lobular or do we use the combination code for duct and lobular?
For cases diagnosed 2007 or later, use rule H14 and assign code 8520 [lobular]. Ignore histologies described as "focal," "foci," or "focus." This instruction will be added to the next version of the MP/H manual.
Reportability--Brain: Is angiocentric glioma, WHO grade 1 of the right frontal lobe reportable? If so, how is histology to be coded?
Angiocentric glioma is reportable. The best histology code currently available is 9380/1 [glioma, NOS; uncertain behavior].
According to the WHO Classification of Central Nervous System Tumours, Angiocentric glioma has a behavior of /1. WHO defines it as an epilepsy-associated stable or slowly growing cerebral tumour primarily affecting children and young adults; histopathologicaly characterized by an angiocentric pattern of growth, monomorphous bipolar cells and features of ependymal differentiation.
Surgery of Primary Site--Breast: How is this field coded when a re-excision follows a prior mastectomy?
Code the most extensive surgery in Surgery of Primary Site. This is a cumulative field. Assign the appropriate code including all surgeries of the primary site performed during the first course of treatment.
The correct code for mastectomy followed by re-excision will depend on the extent of the re-excision. For example, if the re-excision removed muscle, code radical mastectomy.
Histology--Brain and CNS: How is histology to be coded for a pituicytoma WHO grade I, of the pituitary?
Assign code 9380/1 [glioma, borderline].
According to our pathologist consultant, the term pituicytoma is restricted to low-grade glial neoplasms of the neurohypophysis or infundibulum. The best category currently available for these is glioma.
Histology--Breast: What is the histology code for a 2007 diagnosis of basal-type breast carcinoma?
Code basal-type breast carcinoma to 8500/3 [Infiltrating duct carcinoma, NOS].
Basal-type breast carcinoma is a subtype of infiltrating duct carcinoma thought to have a poorer prognosis. There is no specific ICD-O-3 code for basal-type breast carcinoma.
Histology--Pancreas: What is the correct code for "non-secretory pancreatic endocrine tumor" with positive lymph nodes on excision indicating a malignant tumor? Pathologist indicated it was not an exocrine tumor.
Code as islet cell carcinoma [8150/3].
There are several cell types in the islets, and each produces a different hormone. The custom has been to name the tumors by their hormone production e.g. insulinoma, glucagonoma, etc. Occasional tumors do not produce any hormone (at least one that can be determined or measured). These tumors are called non-functioning endocrine tumors. Most of the endocrine tumors in the pancreas are islet cell tumors.
MP/H Rules/Histology--Breast: What is the histology code for the following?
4/21/03 Left breast: infiltrating ductal carcinoma, grade 3 micropapillary type. Tumor size: 3.5 cms; deep margin negative. Skin, nipple & areola positive for invasive ductal carcinoma. Dermal lymphatic invasion by carcinoma breast. Extensive intraductal component absent. 6+/6. See Discussion.
How should histology be coded for a 2003 diagnosis and also for the same diagnosis in 2007 or later?
For a case diagnosed in 2003, code 8507/3 [Duct micropapillary carcinoma]. See Coding Complex Morphologic Diagnoses, revised August 2002, 3rd example on page 5 and page 3, #4.
For cases diagnosed 2007 or later, code 8507/3 [Duct micropapillary carcinoma]. Use rule H12.