C38.3: Malignant neoplasm: Mediastinum, part unspecified

You have cancer between the lungs.

The tissue in the body is made up of cells. With cancer, the cells multiply uncontrollably, which leads to a malignant neoplasm (abnormal growth of tissue) developing. The cancer cells can destroy the healthy tissue and spread throughout the body.

We have 2 lungs. Various organs lie between the lungs, such as the heart, trachea (windpipe) and oesophagus (gullet). These organs are surrounded by connective tissue.

The cells in the tissue between your lungs have multiplied uncontrollably. The gullet, the aorta, various nerves and the thymus, for example, are located in this area. The thymus is part of the immune system.

Not every cancer is the same. There are cancers that develop quickly. You may then quickly feel seriously ill. But there are also cancers that progress slowly. You may then feel generally unwell or weak, or even have no symptoms at all to start with. If the cancer is very large, then the cancerous tissue can press on the organs in the chest. This can affect the gullet, windpipe or heart, for example.

Please note: This ICD code may also derive from the ICD-O system. If this is the case, there are usually additional letters and numbers in addition to the code. It starts with the letter M, followed by 4 digits and then a slash. There is another digit after the slash.

If it is an ICD-O code, then this does not describe a malignant cancer in all cases. The last digit after the slash gives you more detailed information about this:

• /0 – The tumor is benign. Cells in a tissue multiply uncontrollably. However, they are not destroying the surrounding tissue and are also not spreading throughout the body.
• /1 – It is not known for sure whether the tumor is benign or malignant.
• /2 – It is an early form of cancer, a precancerous stage where the cells are altered and multiply uncontrollably. However, they are not yet spreading beyond a certain margin and cannot spread to other organs either.
• /3 – It is a malignant cancer. The cells in the affected tissue are altered and multiply uncontrollably. They can destroy the surrounding tissue and spread throughout the body.
• /6 – It is a metastasis. Cancer cells have spread from the originally affected site to a different site in the body and have further multiplied there.
• /9 – It is either a malignant cancer or a metastasis. The cells in the affected tissue are altered and multiply uncontrollably. However, it is impossible to say whether these cells derive originally from the affected site or have spread there from a different site in the body.