This diagnosis is a part of ICD10 collection.
- SMW
- 2019-01-01
- 2999-12-31
- C44
Additional Info
Excludes:
Includes:
- basal-cell skin cancer (BCC)
- Basal-cell cancer grows slowly and can damage the tissue around it but is unlikely to spread to distant areas or result in death. It often appears as a painless raised area of skin, that may be shiny with small blood vessel running over it or may present as a raised area with an ulcer.
- squamous-cell skin cancer (SCC)
- Squamous-cell skin cancer is more likely to spread. It usually presents as a hard lump with a scaly top but may also form an ulcer.
- merkel cell carcinoma
- a number of less common skin cancers, known as nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC)
- Any cancer/malignancy (either a "solid tumor" or a leukemia/lymphoma/bone marrow malignancy/"liquid tumor", i.e. any ICD10 code from C00-C99) can be a comorbid diagnosis --- BUT it's vital to distinguish malignancies in this category based on whether they are believed to be cured or not.
- If it's still present (or believed to be present), then just include the code for the specific cancer as a comorbid diagnosis.
- If INSTEAD, it's presumed cured, then in the "bin" of comorbid diagnoses combine the code for the specific cancer with this code: Past history, cancer (any type), believed cured
Regarding Presumptive Diagnosis of Malignancy
- Rarely a presumptive diagnosis is made without any tissue confirmation. This generally occurs with:
- risk of obtaining tissue is very high
- plan would be palliative regardless
- patient would refuse care regardless.
- Our issue for how to code a presumed malignancy without definitive histopathologic proof is this:
- If the physicians are going to proceed with a treatment plan without that definitive histopathologic proof --- then code whatever is their best guess about what is present. Example: believed to be lung cancer with a big brain met, and they've decided NOT to do any biopsy but to give palliative radiation therapy, then you'd code lung cancer, and met to brain.
- If the plan is to obtain a definitive histopathologic diagnosis soon or in the future, then instead code: Neoplasm of uncertain behavior (i.e. not clear if benign or malignant), NOS
"work-up for cancer"
If the cancer has not been confirmed then it should not be coded as cancer. Code relevant test abnormal test results or symptoms.
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"I have a patient who comes in with vague respiratory and gi symptoms. They did a chest xray and found a lung mass. They are now working him up for a probable lung ca, with mets to various places. In the old coding I would use ca-nyd. I actually use the ca nyd subcode a lot. I’ve talked to you about this before, because there is no ca nyd in icd10. You told me that you either have cancer or you don’t. For this particular patient I really wouldn’t have anything else I could code in icd10 for him. His symptoms are extremely vague. I don’t really like coding just symptoms, if there isn’t a proper admit diagnosis that fits better anyway. I found a “neoplasm of uncertain behavior (i.e. uncertain if benign or malignant), nos”, but I don’t really like that one. It doesn’t really fit. Is it possible to get something like “admit for workup of malignancy”, or something along those lines?" (Debbie, 12:40, 2018 October 4 (CDT)) How should this be coded? Ttenbergen 12:40, 2018 October 4 (CDT)
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Alternate ICD10s to consider coding instead or in addition
none found
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