Wiki kidney cancer dx ?

[RebeccaB]

Hi All,

New to urology coding & have a question about a patient that underwent a nephrectomy for kidney cancer, also during same operative session underwent hysterectomy for uterine cancer by different physician, the uterine cancer was already diagnosed when the kidney tumor was found. My question is the diagnosis code for the kidney cancer-is it 198.0 because it was the second cancer found or does the kidney & uterine cancers each get the primary malignancy code ? Appreciate any info / help !
Thanks,Rebecca

 

[mitchellde]

It could be either way. The pTient could have two primaries or the uterine cancer could have metastasized to the kidney. The provider will need to be specific in the documentation. Secondary neoplasm does not mean a second diagnosis of cancer it means the primary cancer is now also present in a secondary site . So if this were secondary neoplasm in the kidney, another way to think of it would be that us is uterine cancer now located in the kidney. So documentation needs to be clear.