Cancer Classification

Common standards are to be adhered to regarding disease classification, recording, reporting, and subsequent monitoring of any health condition. Diseases like breast cancer are prevalent in all parts of the world. In 2022, 287,850 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer can be fatal, but fortunately, early detection and proper monitoring of the disease can help many women recover from the disease and lead a healthy life. 

ICD 10 classification, or the international classification of diseases as it is popularly known, is one useful benchmark that helps standardized monitoring of diseases. 

ICD 10 Classification

The ICD 10 classification has seven parts and has a combination of alphabets and numbers. The first three parts (a letter and two numbers) depict a general category for any particular disease. The following parts of a code are followed by a decimal, and it indicates the subcategory of the disease.

History Of Breast Cancer (ICD 10 Classification)

The first classification of breast cancer into malignant( cancerous) and benign tumors was done in 2012. The ICD codes get updated two times every year. The first set of changes happens in April, and the second one in October. The ICD classification for breast cancer has existed for over a decade, and over the years, changes have been made in the way the disease is fitted into various categories and subcategories. Some of these categories and what they stand for have been discussed in this post. 

Common Breast Cancer Types

A detailed analysis of the history of breast cancer will show that the classification has tried to streamline the pathology of the disease to help physicians and patients all over the world.

The classification describes the breast that has been affected (right or left); it also sheds light on the area of the breast where the neoplasm has been detected. 

CD 50.011, for instance, stands for malignant neoplasm. It also indicates that the cancer has been detected in the nipple and areola of the right breast. Likewise, CD50. 311 implies that cancerous tissue has been detected in the inner lower quadrant of the female breast (right side). Likewise, there are more than ten classifications each for the right and left breast and for males and females, respectively.

All these classifications are made with respect to the tissue condition in a normal, healthy breast in males and females.

Conclusion

The international classification of diseases brings out much-needed standardization in disease diagnosis and treatment paradigms. Following varied classifieds in different parts of the world can lead to chaos and faulty or delayed treatment of patients. A history of breast cancer classification shows that the WHO in 2012 classified breast cancer types for the first time. The seven-figure alphanumeric code today has more than forty classifications of breast cancer.