C85.18
BillableUnspecified B-cell lymphoma, lymph nodes of multiple sites
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 B-cells (white blood cells) that affects lymph nodes in multiple locations throughout the body, but the specific subtype is not further specified.
Coding Tips
- •Use this code when B-cell lymphoma involves multiple lymph node sites but the specific histological subtype cannot be determined
- •Ensure documentation specifies that involvement is limited to lymph nodes and not extranodal sites
Clinical Significance
Unspecified B-cell lymphoma involving lymph nodes of multiple sites identifies the anatomical location but lacks specific subtype classification. B-cell lymphoma subtype determination (diffuse large B-cell, follicular, mantle cell, marginal zone, etc.) is critical for treatment selection and prognosis. While the site specificity is valuable, coders should always query for the B-cell subtype from pathology before accepting this code.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Pathology with immunophenotyping confirming B-cell lineage (CD20, CD19, PAX5 markers)
- ✓Clinical or imaging documentation confirming involvement of lymph nodes of multiple sites
- ✓Query provider for specific B-cell lymphoma subtype if pathology report is available
- ✓Staging information including Ann Arbor stage, B-symptoms, and performance status
Commonly Confused Codes
C83.30-C83.39 (Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) — If DLBCL is documented, use the specific C83.3 code with appropriate site characterC82.x (Follicular lymphoma) — Follicular lymphoma has its own code series and should not be coded as unspecified B-cellC83.1x (Mantle cell lymphoma) — Mantle cell is a specific B-cell subtype with its own codesC85.10 (Unspecified B-cell lymphoma, unspecified site) — Use the site-specific code when anatomical location is documented
Code Hierarchy
└C85Other specified and unspecified types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma└C85.1Unspecified B-cell lymphoma└C85.18Unspecified B-cell lymphoma, lymph nodes of multiple sites
└C85.18Unspecified B-cell lymphoma, lymph nodes of multiple sites