ICD-9 Code 171.2

Malignant neoplasm of connective and other soft tissue of upper limb, including shoulder

Not Valid for Submission

171.2 is a legacy non-billable code used to specify a medical diagnosis of malignant neoplasm of connective and other soft tissue of upper limb, including shoulder. This code was replaced on September 30, 2015 by its ICD-10 equivalent.

ICD-9: 171.2
Short Description:Mal neo soft tissue arm
Long Description:Malignant neoplasm of connective and other soft tissue of upper limb, including shoulder

Convert 171.2 to ICD-10

The following crosswalk between ICD-9 to ICD-10 is based based on the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMS) information:

  • C49.10 - Malig neoplm of conn & soft tiss of unsp upr lmb, inc shldr

Code Classification

  • Neoplasms (140–239)
    • Malignant neoplasm of bone, connective tissue, skin, and breast (170-176)
      • 171 Malignant neoplasm of connective and other soft tissue

Information for Medical Professionals

Synonyms

  • Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of finger
  • Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of forearm
  • Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of hand
  • Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of shoulder
  • Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of thumb
  • Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of upper limb and shoulder
  • Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue, upper arm
  • Malignant neoplasm of peripheral nerves of upper limb, including shoulder
  • Malignant tumor of soft tissue of shoulder
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of blood vessel of finger
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of blood vessel of forearm
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of blood vessel of hand
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of blood vessel of shoulder
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of blood vessel of upper arm
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of blood vessel of upper limb
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of muscle of shoulder
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of muscle of upper limb
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of peripheral nerves of shoulder
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of peripheral nerves of upper limb
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of soft tissues of shoulder
  • Primary malignant neoplasm of soft tissues of upper limb
  • Stewart-Treves syndrome

Index to Diseases and Injuries

References found for the code 171.2 in the Index of Diseases and Injuries:


Information for Patients


Cancer

Cancer begins in your cells, which are the building blocks of your body. Normally, your body forms new cells as you need them, replacing old cells that die. Sometimes this process goes wrong. New cells grow even when you don't need them, and old cells don't die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass called a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren't cancer while malignant ones are. Cells from malignant tumors can invade nearby tissues. They can also break away and spread to other parts of the body.

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for where they start. For example, lung cancer starts in the lung, and breast cancer starts in the breast. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis. Symptoms and treatment depend on the cancer type and how advanced it is. Most treatment plans may include surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. Some may involve hormone therapy, immunotherapy or other types of biologic therapy, or stem cell transplantation.

NIH: National Cancer Institute


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Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Your soft tissues connect, support, or surround other tissues. Examples include your muscles, tendons, fat, and blood vessels. Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancer of these soft tissues. There are many kinds, based on the type of tissue they started in. They may cause a lump or swelling in the soft tissue. Sometimes they spread and can press on nerves and organs, causing problems such as pain or trouble breathing.

No one knows exactly what causes these cancers. They are not common, but you have a higher risk if you have been exposed to certain chemicals, have had radiation therapy, or have certain genetic diseases.

Doctors diagnose soft tissue sarcomas with a biopsy. Treatments include surgery to remove the tumor, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination.

NIH: National Cancer Institute


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ICD-9 Footnotes

General Equivalence Map Definitions
The ICD-9 and ICD-10 GEMs are used to facilitate linking between the diagnosis codes in ICD-9-CM and the new ICD-10-CM code set. The GEMs are the raw material from which providers, health information vendors and payers can derive specific applied mappings to meet their needs.

  • Approximate Flag - The approximate flag is on, indicating that the relationship between the code in the source system and the code in the target system is an approximate equivalent.
  • No Map Flag - The no map flag indicates that a code in the source system is not linked to any code in the target system.
  • Combination Flag - The combination flag indicates that more than one code in the target system is required to satisfy the full equivalent meaning of a code in the source system.

Index of Diseases and Injuries Definitions

  • And - The word "and" should be interpreted to mean either "and" or "or" when it appears in a title.
  • Code also note - A "code also" note instructs that two codes may be required to fully describe a condition, but this note does not provide sequencing direction.
  • Code first - Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. For such conditions, the ICD-10-CM has a coding convention that requires the underlying condition be sequenced first followed by the manifestation. Wherever such a combination exists, there is a "use additional code" note at the etiology code, and a "code first" note at the manifestation code. These instructional notes indicate the proper sequencing order of the codes, etiology followed by manifestation.
  • Type 1 Excludes Notes - A type 1 Excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
  • Type 2 Excludes Notes - A type 2 Excludes note represents "Not included here". An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.
  • Includes Notes - This note appears immediately under a three character code title to further define, or give examples of, the content of the category.
  • Inclusion terms - List of terms is included under some codes. These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
  • NEC "Not elsewhere classifiable" - This abbreviation in the Alphabetic Index represents "other specified". When a specific code is not available for a condition, the Alphabetic Index directs the coder to the "other specified” code in the Tabular List.
  • NOS "Not otherwise specified" - This abbreviation is the equivalent of unspecified.
  • See - The "see" instruction following a main term in the Alphabetic Index indicates that another term should be referenced. It is necessary to go to the main term referenced with the "see" note to locate the correct code.
  • See Also - A "see also" instruction following a main term in the Alphabetic Index instructs that there is another main term that may also be referenced that may provide additional Alphabetic Index entries that may be useful. It is not necessary to follow the "see also" note when the original main term provides the necessary code.
  • 7th Characters - Certain ICD-10-CM categories have applicable 7th characters. The applicable 7th character is required for all codes within the category, or as the notes in the Tabular List instruct. The 7th character must always be the 7th character in the data field. If a code that requires a 7th character is not 6 characters, a placeholder X must be used to fill in the empty characters.
  • With - The word "with" should be interpreted to mean "associated with" or "due to" when it appears in a code title, the Alphabetic Index, or an instructional note in the Tabular List. The word "with" in the Alphabetic Index is sequenced immediately following the main term, not in alphabetical order.