Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Question: The pathology report for a left oophorectomy identifies “serous tumor of low malignant potential (atypical proliferative serous tumor of ovary). Would C56.2 be the correct diagnosis code for this case?

Codify Subscriber

Answer: No, C56.2 (Malignant neoplasm of left ovary) is not the best code for this case Low malignant potential tumors are also known as borderline tumors according to the American Cancer Society (Source: www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/treating/low-malignant-potential.html). That means you should not report them as a malignant neoplasm, ruling out any of the following ovarian diagnosis codes:

• C56.1 (Malignant neoplasm of right ovary)
• C56.2 (… left ovary)
• C56.9 (... unspecified ovary).

Instead, you should think of it as a tumor of uncertain behavior, and you should report D39.12 (Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of left ovary) for this case.