C82.40
BillableFollicular lymphoma grade IIIb, unspecified site
HCC Category Mapping
V28HCC 21 — Breast, Prostate, Colorectal and Other Cancers and Tumors
0.545V24HCC 10 — Lymphoma and Other Cancers
0.675ESRDHCC 10 — Lymphoma and Other Cancers
0.000RxHCCHCC 21 — Hodgkin Lymphoma and Other Cancers
0.000What This Code Means
A type of cancer of the lymph system (follicular lymphoma) that is grade IIIb with an unspecified or unknown location.
Coding Tips
- •Use this code only when the specific anatomical site cannot be determined from documentation
- •Grade IIIb is a higher grade than IIIa, indicating more aggressive disease; verify grade documentation
Clinical Significance
Follicular lymphoma grade IIIb at an unspecified site is the most aggressive subtype of follicular lymphoma, characterized by sheets of centroblasts without centrocytes. Grade IIIb is biologically and clinically more similar to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma than to indolent follicular lymphoma and is treated with aggressive chemoimmunotherapy regimens. The unspecified site warrants a provider query.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Pathology report confirming grade IIIb (sheets of centroblasts, no centrocytes)
- ✓Expert hematopathology review recommended to distinguish from DLBCL
- ✓Query provider for specific anatomic site
- ✓Ann Arbor staging with performance status
- ✓Aggressive treatment plan documentation (R-CHOP or similar)
Commonly Confused Codes
C82.30 — Grade IIIa, unspecified site; IIIa has centrocytes present, IIIb does notC82.20 — Grade III unspecified; use C82.40 when pathology specifically confirms IIIbC83.30 — Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, unspecified site; grade IIIb can be very difficult to differentiate from DLBCL — expert pathology review is recommendedC82.10 — Grade II, unspecified site; much lower grade with different management
Code Hierarchy
└C82Follicular lymphoma└C82.4Follicular lymphoma grade IIIb└C82.40Follicular lymphoma grade IIIb, unspecified site
└C82.40Follicular lymphoma grade IIIb, unspecified site