Guided Notes
Coding Neoplasms (Cancer)
Primary vs secondary sites, sequencing for treatment, chemotherapy and radiation encounters, anemia and pain with cancer, and current cancer vs history.
Behavior first
Slide 1 / 5Every neoplasm has a behavior: • Malignant primary — where the cancer began (C00–C75, C81–C96 for lymphoma/leukemia). • Malignant secondary — metastasis, where it spread (C77–C79). • Carcinoma in situ — malignant cells that haven't invaded (D00–D09). • Benign — not cancer (D10–D36). • Uncertain behavior — pathologist can't decide (D37–D44, D48). • Unspecified behavior — no histology yet (D49).
Only the pathology/provider documentation tells you the behavior — 'mass', 'tumor', 'lesion' alone aren't neoplasm codes by default.