Codes 8 and 9: Benign/Borderline and Unknown if Extension or Metastasis

Code 8: Benign/Borderline

Benign/borderline is used only for Brain, CNS Other and Intracranial Gland cancers. Code 8 may not be used for any other cases.

Code 9: Unknown if Extension or Metastasis

There will be cases for which sufficient evidence is not available to adequately assign a stage.

Examples

  1. Occasions when the patient expires before a workup is completed, when a patient refuses a diagnostic or treatment procedure, or when there is limited workup due to the patient’s age or a simultaneous contraindicating condition. If sufficient information does not exist, the case is staged as “unknown” or is unstageable.

Abstracting Tip: This code should be assigned sparingly. If at all possible, contact the responsible physician to see if there is more information about the case which is not in the record, such as diagnostic studies performed prior to admission or documentation in the physician’s office records.

  1. Death certificate only cases are staged ’9’, unknown.
  2. Case of unknown primary site (C809) are, by definition, staged as unknown.

Updated: November 5, 2024