Cancer treatment—lung cancer surgical margin qualifier, code N[N]

Guide for use:

Surgical margins represent sites that have either been cut or bluntly dissected by the surgeon to resect the specimen.

The presence of tumour at a surgical margin is an important finding because there is the potential for residual tumour remaining in the patient in the area surrounding a positive margin.

Record the code for the margin described as the closest surgical margin from the invasive or in situ carcinoma. Where two or more margins are reported, only the closest should be recorded.

Record only for the most definitive surgical procedure performed. For instance, if a surgical procedure to remove a portion of tumour at the primary site is followed by additional surgery to remove the remainder of the tumour at that site, code the closest surgical margin for the final surgical procedure.