California Cancer Reporting System Standards Volume I: Abstracting and Coding Procedures for Hospitals
Record the number of lymph nodes identified in the pathology report during each surgical procedure of the regional lymph nodes. The codes are the same for all sites. Refer to Appendix Q-1 for these codes, which are to be entered in chronological order. If no regional lymph nodes were identified in the pathology report, leave the field blank even if the surgical procedure includes a lymph node dissection (i.e., modified radical mastectomy) or if the operative report documents removal of the nodes.
Note: This field is not cumulative. It does not replace or duplicate the "Regional Lymph Nodes Examined" field used in Extent of Disease coding.
Effective with cases diagnosed on or after January 1, 2003, the fields for Rx Summ-Reg LN Examined and Rx Hosp-Reg LN Examined are no longer required by the CCR and the CoC. Information regarding the number of lymph nodes has been incorporated into the scope fields.
However, the summary field for cases diagnosed prior to January 1, 2003 must continue to be coded.
Use code 99 for an Unknown Primary Hematopoietic/Reticuloendothelial/Immunoproliferative/Myeloproliferative Disease Primaries, Lymphoma, Brain (including the pituitary gland) and Primaries of Ill-Defined Sites.