CS Extension--Kidney: When an incidentally found 5 cm mass discovered on a CT scan during a work-up for colon carcinoma is stated to be consistent with renal cell ca, should the case be staged as localized or unknown when no other information is available related to a work-up for the kidney primary?
This answer was provided in the context of CSv1 coding guidelines. The response may not be used after your registry database has been converted to CSv2.
Code what is known. In the example above, the tumor size and the extension are known and can be coded. The information is limited, but not completely missing.
Code what you DO know rather than coding nothing. Any metastases from the kidney would have been discovered during the workup of the rectal cancer.
Reportability--Lung: Is sclerosing hemangioma of the lung with multiple regional lymph nodes metastases reportable?
No, it is not reportable. According to the WHO Classification of Lung Tumours, sclerosing hemangioma "behaves in a clinically benign fashion...Reported cases with hilar or mediastinal lymph node involvement do not have a worse prognosis."
Primary Site--Soft Tissue: How is the primary site coded for a PNET found in the groin when the Tumor Board states the primary is unknown but the SEER site/histology validation table does not allow a site of C809 or C76x to be coded in combination with the histology of 9473/3?
Code site to C495 [connective tissue of pelvis, groin].
This was not called metastatic PNET and no other site of disease is noted. PNET is a broad classification of a group of tumors that usually occur in the CNS and can also occur in soft tissue (neuroblastoma, extra-osseous Ewing sarcoma).
Primary Site--Breast: If a patient has multifocal tumors all in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, is the primary site coded to C-504 because all of the tumors are in UOQ or would the site be coded to C509 to reflect the fact that multiple tumors exist?
Code the primary site to C504 [Upper outer quadrant]. All disease is located in one quadrant, code that quadrant. When disease involves two or more quadrants and the point of origin cannot be determined, code C509 [Breast, NOS]. See 2004 SEER manual, page C-470 for instructions about invasive and in situ in different quadrants.
Histology (Pre-2007)/Diagnostic Confirmation: Which histology code is preferred if the CBD brushing is positive for malignant cells, cytologically most consistent with ductal adenocarcinoma [8500/3], and the common hepatic artery lymph node biopsy has metastatic adenocarcinoma, consistent with cholangiocarcinoma [8160/3]?
For tumors diagnosed prior to 2007:
Assign histology code 8160 [Cholangiocarcinoma]. Code from the pathology specimen when available. In this case, the only pathology is from the lymph node specimen.
For tumors diagnosed 2007 or later, refer to the MP/H rules. If there are still questions about how this type of tumor should be coded, submit a new question to SINQ and include the difficulties you are encountering in applying the MP/H rules.
CS Extension--Breast: What is the CS Extent for this 2004 breast cancer? See Discussion.
A patient had lobular carcinoma of the left breast in 2000. At that time, she had bilateral simple mastectomies and the right breast was benign. In 2004, she notices a nodule in the right chest wall, which is excised and found to be invasive ductal ca and lobular ca in situ. So is this Sequence 2, C50.9, 8522/3. And what is the CS Extent - 40 chest wall? (The physician stages this as T2N0M0)
This answer was provided in the context of CSv1 coding guidelines. The response may not be used after your registry database has been converted to CSv2.Residual breast tissue is present following a mastectomy. If the nodule is in the breast tissue (tissue above the ribs), assign CS extension code 10 [Confined to breast tissue...Localized, NOS]. If the nodule is in the chest wall (tissue below the ribs), assign code 40 [Invasion of chest wall].
Primary Site/CS Tumor Size/CS Extension--Lung: How are these fields coded when a chest CT for lung cancer documents multiple masses in different lobes of the lung? See Discussion.
Example
Chest CT: "Almost complete consolidation of RUL and superior segment of RLL, highly suspicious for malignancy and represents primary bronchogenic carcinoma until proven otherwise. Multiple pulmonary masses bilaterally consistent with metastatic disease."
The physician describes multiple masses throughout RLL and LLL of lung suspicious for met disease, particularly lesion in LLL measuring 2.5 cm. The 2 cm mass in right lung abuts pleura, another mass in RLL measures 2.5 cm, smaller nodules in RLL and another 1 cm lesion abuts the pleura. Bx of a rt supraclavicular LN is positive for met carcinoma c/w lung primary.
Would primary site be coded to RLL because the scan states that the lesions on the right side represent primary bronchogenic carcinoma until proven otherwise and the 2.5 cm lesion in the RLL is the location of the largest tumor on the right? Or should site be coded to right lung, NOS and size to unknown because there is no clear statement as to which lesion on the right represents the primary tumor? If the site is lung, NOS, would CS Extension be coded to 65 to describe the multiple nodules in the RLL?
This answer was provided in the context of CSv1 coding guidelines. The response may not be used after your registry database has been converted to CSv2.Based on the information provided:
Code primary site C349 [Lung]. Code laterality 1 [Right]. Code CS Tumor Size 999 [Unknown]. Code CS Extension 65 [Separate tumor nodules, same lobe]. Code CS Mets at Dx 39 [Separate tumor nodule in contralateral lung].
Grade, Differentiation/Priorities: Which has priority, the differentiation or the nuclear grade for a liver biopsy histology described as "well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma, nuclear grade 3/4"?
For most sites, differentiation has priority over the nuclear grade when both are specified (excluding breast and kidney). Assign grade code 1 [well differentiated] to the example above.
CS Site Specific Factor 4--Prostate: For apex involvement at prostatectomy, is only apical involvement found at prostatectomy included or is all histologically proven apical involvement documented in the second digit of Site Specific Factor 4? See Discussion.
Per note 1 for Site Specific Factor 3 - Pathologic Extension all histologic information is used. Biopsy information would be included when coding path extension. Would all histologic information be used for coding prostatectomy apex involvement in Site Specific Factor 4?
Example 1: Prostate biopsies of the right and left apex and right and left mid gland show adenocarcinoma. Prostatectomy shows bilateral adenocarcinoma. Apex negative for tumor.
Example 2: Prostate biopsies of right apex and mid gland show adenocarcinoma. There is no mention of apex on prostatectomy path. How is CS Site Specific Factor 4 Prostate Apex Involvement coded?
This answer was provided in the context of CSv1 coding guidelines. The response may not be used after your registry database has been converted to CSv2.
Assign the second digit of CS SSF 4 based on prostatectomy only, do not include biopsy or other histologic information in the second digit.
According to the CS Steering Committee, the clinical or biopsy of the prostate is included in the first number of the code and should not be combined with the prostatectomy code which is the second number. These were separated purposely.
Example 1: Code the second digit of SSF 4 based on the prostatectomy, 1 [no involvement of prostatic apex].
Example 2: Code the second digit of SSF 4 based on the prostatectomy, 5 [apex extension unknown].
An official website of the United States government
Home