V.6.2.5 Clinical Stage Descriptor

V.6.2.5 Clinical Stage Descriptor – Prefix/Suffix

This field isolates the clinical stage (prefix/suffix) descriptor of the tumor prior to the start of any therapy. The stage descriptor identifies special cases that need separate analysis. These descriptors supplement but do not change the stage group.

Coding Instructions:

Refer to the most current AJCC Cancer Staging Manual for coding instructions.
Code the clinical stage (prefix/suffix) descriptor as documented by the managing physician or first treating physician in the medical record.
If the managing physician has not recorded the clinical descriptor, registrars will code the clinical descriptor based on the best information available.
Code 4 for y-classification has been removed from the list of valid codes for clinical stage.

Codes:

Code	Label	Description
0	None	There are no prefix or suffix descriptors that would be used for this case.
1	E - Extranodal, lymphomas only	A lymphoma case involving an extranodal site.
2	S - Spleen, lymphomas only	A lymphoma case involving the spleen.
3	M - Multiple primary tumors in a single site	This is one primary with multiple tumors in the primary site at the time of diagnosis.
5	E&S - Extranodal and spleen, lymphomas only	A lymphoma case with involvement of both an extranodal site and the spleen.
9	Unknown; not staged in patient record	A prefix of suffix would describe this stage, but it is not known which would be correct.

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