Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. Here is a detailed overview of the condition along with the ICD-10 codes.

1. ICD-10 Codes for
Reporting Hodgkin's
Lymphoma
(Hodgkin's disease)
Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the
lymphatic system. Here is a detailed overview of the condition
along with the ICD-10 codes.
Outsource Strategies International
United States

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Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic
system, which is a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your
body. The lymphatic system (which is part of your immune system)is a
network of nodes (knots of tissue) connected by vessels that drain fluids and
other waste products from the body and fight infections (caused by bacteria,
viruses, and fungi). The lymph nodes act as tiny filters, straining out foreign
organisms and cells. Clear fluid called “lymph” flows through the lymphatic
vessels and contains infection-fighting white blood cells, known as
lymphocytes. The condition is a relatively aggressive type of cancer that
quickly spreads throughout the body, if left untreated. Treatment modality
for the same will depend on the general health and age of the patient and
how far the cancer has spread through the body. Top treatment modalities
include chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy or chemotherapy alone.
Surgery is generally not recommended as a treatment option for the
condition. With appropriate and timely treatment, the serious complications
caused by Hodgkin's lymphoma can be reversed. It is important for
physicians to instruct their medical coding outsourcing service providers
or clinical staff to be specific and document their diagnosis and medical
procedures with accurate medical codes.
Also called Hodgkin disease (HD), the condition can develop at any age, but
it most commonly affects people between 20-40 years and those over 55
years. In fact, the chances of occurrence are more common in men than
women. The exact cause of Hodgkin lymphoma is unknown. However, your
risk of getting infected by this condition increases if you suffer from a
medical condition that weakens your immune system,DNA mutations or
changes, if you consume immunosuppressant medications or if you have
been exposed to a common virus called the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV - which
causes glandular fever). In addition, a person is also at high risk of
developing Hodgkin lymphoma if a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or

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child) has had the condition earlier. HD can be either classic Hodgkin’s
disease or nodular lymphocytic predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NLPHL).
Types of Hodgkin's Lymphoma
There are two different types of Hodgkin's lymphoma. Diagnosis of the
specific type of lymphoma is based on the types of cells involved and their
behavior. The type of lymphoma a person is diagnosed with determines their
treatment options.
 Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma – Regarded as a common type of
lymphoma, people diagnosed with classical HD have large, abnormal
cells (called Reed-Sternberg cells) in their lymph nodes. Subtypes of
classical Hodgkin's lymphoma include -
 Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's lymphoma (NSHL)
 Mixed cellularity Hodgkin's lymphoma (MCCHL)
 Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin's lymphoma
 Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin's lymphoma
 Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma – A rare
type of Hodgkin's lymphoma, this condition involves large, abnormal
cells that are sometimes called popcorn cells because of their
appearance. People suffering from this type of lymphoma may have a
higher chance of a cure when the disease is diagnosed at an early
stage.
What Are the Symptoms of HD?
One of the most common symptoms associated with the condition is swelling
of the lymph nodes, which causes a lump to form under the skin. In most
cases, this lump is not painful and may form in one or more of the following
areas like - on the side of the neck, in the armpit and around the groin.
Other related symptoms include –
 Unexplained weight loss

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 Persistent fatigue
 Persistent cough, trouble breathing, chest pain
 Pain in the lymph nodes after consuming alcohol
 Night sweats
 Itchy skin
 Fever
 Enlarged spleen
Diagnosing and Treating HD
To diagnose HD, the physician will perform a detailed physical exam wherein
they will check for swollen lymph nodes, including in the neck, underarm and
groin, as well as a swollen spleen or liver. They will also ask questions about
the patient’s previous medical history. Blood tests may be conducted to
analyze the complete blood count (CBC), to measure levels of red blood
cells, white blood cells, and platelets and to check if anything in the patient’s
blood indicates the possibility of cancer. Imaging tests like X-ray, CT and
positron emission tomography may be performed to look for signs of HD in
other areas of the body. In addition, lung function tests and an
echocardiogram may also be performed to determine how well the lungs are
working. Physicians may also conduct other tests - lymph node biopsy (to
remove a lymph node for lab testing) and bone marrow biopsy and
aspiration procedure (inserting a needle into your hipbone to remove a
sample of bone marrow) in order to look for Hodgkin's lymphoma cells.
Once the physician correctly determines the extent of HD cells, they will
assign a specific stage for the cancer. Staging describes the extent and
severity of the disease. It will alsohelpthe physician determine the patient’s
prognosis and treatment options. There are four general stages of HD –
 Stage 1 (early stage) - cancer is found in one lymph node region or
one area of a single organ.

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 Stage 2 (locally advanced disease) – cancer is found in two lymph
node regions (on one side of the diaphragm - which is the muscle
beneath your lung), or in one lymph node region as well as in a nearby
organ.
 Stage 3 (advanced disease) – when cancer is found in lymph nodes
both above and below the diaphragm. Cancer may also be in one
portion of tissue or an organ near the lymph node groups or in the
spleen.
 Stage 4 (widespread disease) – cancer cells are found outside the
lymph nodes and in several portions of one or more organs and tissues
such as the bone marrow, liver, or lung.
Treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma typically depends on the stage of the
disease. As mentioned above, the main treatment options are chemotherapy
and radiation. If patients don’t respond properly to chemotherapy or
radiation, immunotherapy or a stem cell transplant may also be used. A
stem cell transplant infuses healthy cells called stem cells into the patient’s
body to replace the cancerous cells in the bone marrow. The diagnosis,
screening tests and other treatment procedures performed by oncologists,
radiologists or other specialists must be documented by reporting the correct
medical billing codes. Medical billing and coding services offered by
reliable providers ensure that accurate claims submission is done. ICD-10
codes used for diagnosing Hodgkin's lymphoma include –
ICD-10 Codes for HD
 C81 - Hodgkin lymphoma
 C81.0 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma
 C81.00 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
unspecified site
 C81.01 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
lymph nodes of head, face, and neck

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 C81.02 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
intrathoracic lymph nodes
 C81.03 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
intra-abdominal lymph nodes
 C81.04 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
lymph nodes of axilla and upper limb
 C81.05 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
lymph nodes of inguinal region and lower limb
 C81.06 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
intrapelvic lymph nodes
 C81.07 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
spleen
 C81.08 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
lymph nodes of multiple sites
 C81.09 - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma,
extranodal and solid organ sites
 C81.1 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma
 C81.10 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified site
 C81.11 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
head, face, and neck
 C81.12 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, intrathoracic
lymph nodes
 C81.13 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, intra-abdominal
lymph nodes
 C81.14 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
axilla and upper limb
 C81.15 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
inguinal region and lower limb
 C81.16 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, intrapelvic lymph
nodes

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 C81.17 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, spleen
 C81.18 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
multiple sites
 C81.19 - Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, extranodal and
solid organ sites
 C81.2 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma
 C81.20 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified site
 C81.21 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
head, face, and neck
 C81.22 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, intrathoracic
lymph nodes
 C81.23 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, intra-abdominal
lymph nodes
 C81.24 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
axilla and upper limb
 C81.25 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma ,lymph nodes of
inguinal region and lower limb
 C81.26 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, intrapelvic lymph
nodes
 C81.27 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, spleen
 C81.28 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
multiple sites
 C81.29 - Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma, extranodal and
solid organ sites
 C81.3 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma
 C81.30 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified
site
 C81.31 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph
nodes of head, face, and neck

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 C81.32 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, intrathoracic
lymph nodes
 C81.33 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, intra-
abdominal lymph nodes
 C81.34 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph
nodes of axilla and upper limb
 C81.35 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph
nodes of inguinal region and lower limb
 C81.36 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, intrapelvic
lymph nodes
 C81.37 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, spleen
 C81.38 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph
nodes of multiple sites
 C81.39 - Lymphocyte depleted Hodgkin lymphoma, extranodal
and solid organ sites
 C81.4 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma
 C81.40 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified site
 C81.41 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
head, face, and neck
 C81.42 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, intrathoracic
lymph nodes
 C81.43 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, intra-abdominal
lymph nodes
 C81.44 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
axilla and upper limb
 C81.45 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
inguinal region and lower limb
 C81.46 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, intrapelvic lymph
nodes
 C81.47 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, spleen

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 C81.48 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of
multiple sites
 C81.49 - Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma, extranodal and
solid organ sites
 C81.7 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma
 C81.70 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified site
 C81.71 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of head, face,
and neck
 C81.72 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, intrathoracic lymph nodes
 C81.73 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, intra-abdominal lymph
nodes
 C81.74 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of axilla and
upper limb
 C81.75 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of inguinal
region and lower limb
 C81.76 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, intrapelvic lymph nodes
 C81.77 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, spleen
 C81.78 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, lymph nodes of multiple
sites
 C81.79 - Other Hodgkin lymphoma, extranodal and solid organ
sites
 C81.9 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified
 C81.90 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, unspecified site
 C81.91 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, lymph nodes of head,
face, and neck
 C81.92 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, intrathoracic lymph
nodes
 C81.93 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, intra-abdominal
lymph nodes

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 C81.94 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, lymph nodes of axilla
and upper limb
 C81.95 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, lymph nodes of
inguinal region and lower limb
 C81.96 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, intrapelvic lymph
nodes
 C81.97 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, spleen
 C81.98 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, lymph nodes of
multiple sites
 C81.99 - Hodgkin lymphoma, unspecified, extranodal and solid
organ sites
The general outlook for HD varies, depending on its stage and type.
Generally, this type of cancer is more common in men than women.
Therefore, it is important for patients to report any unusual symptoms to
their physician immediately.Knowing the highly specific ICD-10 codes
related to HD is critical for oncologists. Partnering with an experienced
medical billing and coding company is a great option for oncologists to
ensure accurate and timely claim submissions.