tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2008 Issue 4

Reader Questions: History Begins When Active Treatment Ends

Question: If a patient has been diagnosed with cancer, does a "history of cancer" diagnosis start at that moment, after the cessation of active treatment for the cancer, or after some predetermined time limit? Pennsylvania Subscriber Answer: As soon as the physician ends treatment specifically directed at the tumor, and there is no evidence of any cancer remaining at that site, you may properly apply a "history of cancer" diagnosis. For example, a patient with breast cancer undergoes, in turn, a biopsy, mastectomy, and chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The entire process takes about nine months. During all this time...

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