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Show After someone is diagnosed with esophageal cancer, doctors will try to figure out if it has spread, and if so, how far. This process is called staging. The stage of a cancer describes how much cancer is in the body. It helps determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it. Doctors also use a cancer's stage when talking about survival statistics. The earliest stage esophageal cancers are called stage 0 (high grade dysplasia). It then ranges from stage I (1) through IV (4). As a rule, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, such as stage IV, means cancer has spread more. And within a stage, an earlier letter means a lower stage. Although each person’s cancer experience is unique, cancers with similar stages tend to have a similar outlook and are often treated in much the same way. Most esophageal cancers start in the innermost lining of the esophagus (the epithelium) and then grow into deeper layers over time. How is the stage determined?The staging system most often used for esophageal cancer is the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM system, which is based on 3 key pieces of information:
Numbers or letters after T, N, and M provide more details about each of these factors. Higher numbers mean the cancer is more advanced. Once a person’s T, N, and M categories have been determined, this information is combined in a process called stage grouping to assign an overall stage. For more information see Cancer Staging. Staging systems for esophageal cancerSince esophageal cancer can be treated in different ways, different staging systems have been created for each situation:
Since most cancers are staged with the pathological stage, we have included that staging system in the tables below. If your cancer has been clinically staged or if you have had neoadjuvant therapy, it is best to talk to your doctor about your specific stage for those situations. GradeAnother factor that can affect your treatment and your outlook is the grade of your cancer. The grade describes how closely the cancer looks like normal tissue when seen through a microscope. The scale used for grading esophagus cancers is from 1 to 3.
Low-grade cancers tend to grow and spread more slowly than high-grade cancers. Most of the time, the outlook is better for low-grade cancers than it is for high-grade cancers of the same stage . LocationSome stages of early squamous cell carcinoma also take into account where the tumor is in the esophagus. The location is assigned as either upper, middle, or lower based on where the middle of the tumor is. Esophageal cancer stage descriptionsThe tables below are simplified versions of the TNM system, based on the most recent AJCC systems effective January 2018. They include staging systems for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. It’s important to know that esophageal cancer staging can be complex. If you have any questions about the stage of your cancer or what it means, please ask your doctor to explain it to you in a way you understand. Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stages
Adenocarcinoma stagesThe location of the cancer in the esophagus does not affect the stage of adenocarcinomas.
Resectable versus unresectable cancerThe AJCC staging system provides a detailed summary of how far an esophagus cancer has spread. But for treatment purposes, doctors are often more concerned about whether the cancer can be removed completely with surgery (resected). If, based on where the cancer is located and how far it has spread, it could be removed completely by surgery, it is considered potentially resectable. If the cancer has spread too far to be removed completely, it is considered unresectable. As a general rule, stage 0, I, and II esophageal cancers are potentially resectable. Most stage III cancers are potentially resectable also, even when they have spread to nearby lymph nodes, as long as the cancer has not grown into the trachea (windpipe), the aorta (the large blood vessel coming from the heart), the spine, or other nearby important structures. Unfortunately, many people whose cancer is potentially resectable might not be able to have surgery to remove their cancers because they aren’t healthy enough. If you have localized esophageal cancer, it is often recommended that your case be discussed at a multidisciplinary meeting. In this meeting, your medical information is reviewed at one time with doctors from different specialties (for example, medical oncology, pathology, surgery, radiation oncology) who, as a group, recommend a treatment plan for you. Cancers that have grown into nearby structures or that have spread to distant lymph nodes or to other organs are considered unresectable, so treatments other than surgery are usually the best option. American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy. BackTo TopWhat is the ICDICD-10 code: C15. 9 Malignant neoplasm: Oesophagus, unspecified.
What is the ICDICD-10 code Z85. 01 for Personal history of malignant neoplasm of esophagus is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Factors influencing health status and contact with health services .
How do you code Esophageal cancer?Malignant neoplasm of esophagus, unspecified
C15. 9 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2023 edition of ICD-10-CM C15. 9 became effective on October 1, 2022.
What is the diagnosis code K22 8?2023 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code K22. 8: Other specified diseases of esophagus.
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