C83.00

Billable

Small cell B-cell lymphoma, unspecified site

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 21 — Breast, Prostate, Colorectal and Other Cancers and Tumors

0.545

V24HCC 10 — Lymphoma and Other Cancers

0.675

ESRDHCC 10 — Lymphoma and Other Cancers

0.000

RxHCCHCC 21 — Hodgkin Lymphoma and Other Cancers

0.000

What This Code Means

A type of cancer of the lymph system (small cell B-cell lymphoma) with no specific lymph node location identified.

Coding Tips

•This is a less specific code; attempt to identify the primary site of involvement from imaging or pathology reports
•If a specific site is documented, use codes C83.01-C83.05 or C83.06-C83.09 for greater specificity

Clinical Significance

Small cell B-cell lymphoma is a low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma that is the tissue-based counterpart of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. When the disease primarily involves lymph nodes rather than the blood, it is classified as small cell B-cell lymphoma rather than chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The unspecified site code should prompt a query to identify the primary anatomical location, as this information affects staging, treatment planning, and coding specificity.

Documentation Requirements

✓Pathology confirming small cell B-cell lymphoma (small lymphocytic lymphoma) histology
✓Immunophenotyping results (CD5+, CD23+, CD20 dim)
✓Flow cytometry results distinguishing from other small B-cell lymphomas
✓Query for specific anatomical site information
✓Assessment of peripheral blood for circulating lymphoma cells (which would suggest chronic lymphocytic leukemia designation instead)
✓Staging evaluation

Commonly Confused Codes

C91.10 — Chronic lymphocytic leukemia of B-cell type, not having achieved remission: Small lymphocytic lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia are the same disease entity; code based on whether presentation is primarily nodal (C83.0x) or leukemic (C91.1x)C83.30 — Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, unspecified site: DLBCL has large cells, not small; verify pathology carefully C82.90 — Follicular lymphoma, unspecified, unspecified site: Follicular lymphoma has a different growth pattern and immunophenotype

Code Hierarchy

└C83Non-follicular lymphoma └C83.0Small cell B-cell lymphoma └C83.00Small cell B-cell lymphoma, unspecified site

└C83.00Small cell B-cell lymphoma, unspecified site