Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

You Need More Info From Your Doctor for This Dx

Question: What is the diagnosis code for paraneoplastic syndrome?

California Subscriber

Answer: Unfortunately, "paraneoplastic syndrome" is not very specific. There are many paraneoplastic syndromes, just as there are many kinds of cancer.

Paraneoplastic syndrome isn't cancer. It's a disease or symptom that is the consequence of cancer but is not due to the local presence of cancer cells. A paraneoplastic syndrome may be the first sign of cancer.

Time for questions: You need to get more information from your physician about which syndrome he's diagnosing. Here are some possibilities, though this is by no means an exhaustive list:

- Dermatomyositis (710.3)

- Acanthosis nigricans (701.2)

- Sweet's syndrome (695.89)

- Pyoderma gangrenosum (686.01)

- Encephalomyelitis; specified cause NEC (323.81)

- Opsoclonia (379.59)

- Polymyositis (710.4)

- Myasthenia syndrome in malignant neoplasm NEC (199.1)

- Hypercalcemia (275.42)

- Syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (253.6)

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