In this session of the Oncology Coding Break, we focus on surgical resections for pancreatic cancer. Anatomy is reviewed to help us be knowledgeable of what may be excised during a pancreatic surgery. The pancreas has 3 main sections titled by the head, body and tail. The pancreas is an organ about the size of a hand. It works closely with the liver and ducts that carry bile.
The STORE Manual appendix A: Site-Specific Surgery Codes help to determine the correct surgery code with the information from the pathology report and the operative report. A Partial Pancreatectomy/Distal Pancreatectomy with splenectomy is assigned B300 while a Classic Whipple is assigned a B352. A classic Whipple surgery removes nearby organs due to being so closely tied to the pancreas. This is detailed in the STORE Manual 2024 Appendix and forward. A modified Whipple is discussed and it is titled a pylorus preserving Whipple. In this month’s coding break, we also explore what determines a pancreatic cancer patient to be resectable as well as surgical coding determinations.
