Behavior code is grouped under which abstracting section?

• A. Cancer Identification
• B. Patient Identification
• C. Stage of Disease at Diagnosis
• D. First Course of Treatment

Answer: (A)

Behavior code describes whether a neoplasm is benign, in situ, or malignant, which is a matter of identifying the nature of the tumor. In abstracting workflows, this belongs in Cancer Identification because it deals with classifying and identifying the lesion as cancer-related rather than describing who the patient is, how advanced the disease is, or what treatment was given. The other areas address patient demographics, disease extent at diagnosis, and the first course of treatment, which are separate from the tumor’s fundamental biological behavior.