01-03-2025 Date of Regional Lymph Node Dissection-Examples of When to Fill in or Leave Blank
| Scenario | Scenario | Date of Regional Lymph Node Dissection | Reference: STORE Instructions for the field– Date Regional Lymph Node Dissection |
| SLN Only | 01-01-2025 Breast Cancer case treated with Lumpectomy + Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy | BLANK
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This field records the date of non-sentinel node dissection, this patient ONLY had a sentinel lymph node dissection, so leave it BLANK. |
| SLN Only | 01-01-2025 Endometrial Cancer Case treated with Total Abdominal Hysterectomy + Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy | BLANK
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This field records the date of non-sentinel node dissection, this patient ONLY had a sentinel lymph node dissection, so leave it BLANK.
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| SLN biopsy+ Excision of non-SLN | 01-01-2025 wide resection, left axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy, left axillary non-sentinel node biopsy… Geiger counter was used to locate the SLN, as we did this, we noticed another lymph node right next to it. We went ahead and resected the non-sentinel lymph node | BLANK
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Physician did not perform a formal regional lymph node dissection, leave this field Blank. All information collected in the SLN fields.
*Also refer to STORE instruction on how to code Scope of Regional Lymph Node Code 2 The General Instructions Applying to All Sites for further clarification on coding that field as well.
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| No Formal Dissection, Pathologist found node in specimen | 01-01-2025 Thyroid Cancer Case, treated with Total Thyroidectomy [Physician did not perform a lymph node dissection, however pathologist found 2 nodes in the thyroidectomy tissue submitted] | BLANK
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Physician did not perform a formal regional lymph node dissection, leave this field Blank.
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| No Formal Dissection, lymph node harvest | 1-2025 Mediastinoscopy-Lymph nodes from R4, L4 and STATION 7 were removed and sent to pathology {R4 [1 node negative] Station 7 [2 nodes negative], L4 [1 node negative]}
02-2025 RLL lobectomy & 1 Level 8 node harvested [Lymph node from level 8 was harvested and sent for permanent section. Additional mediastinal lymph node dissection was attempted, however her nodal areas were very inflamed and fibrotic, and given her previous mediastinoscopy, these areas were not fully dissected] Path 1 Level 8 node (-), 2.6cm Mixed invasive mucinous and non-mucinous adenocarcinoma |
BLANK
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There’s no mention that a mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed. Therefore, you would not have a date.
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| Regional Lymph Node Dissection | 04-01-2025 Breast Cancer case treated with Lumpectomy + Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy & Axillary Dissection | 04-01-2025 | Patient also had an Axillary Lymph Node Dissection, so fill in the Date of the non-sentinel regional node dissection. |
| Regional Lymph Node dissection done without a statement of dissection | 04-01-2025 Colon Cancer Case Op Report states treated with left hemicolectomy
Path Report states 16 peri colonic lymph nodes were negative
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04-01-2025 | A lymph node “dissection” is removal of most or all of the nodes in the lymph node chain(s) that drain the area around the primary tumor. Clearly this patient had a lymph node dissection even though the operative report does not come out and state it. Sometimes you must read between the lines.
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