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Cancer ICD 10 Code
Refresher: What are ICD-10 codes?
ICD-10 stands for the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision. It is a coding system used in healthcare to systematically classify diagnoses, procedures, and symptoms. CM indicates “Clinical Modification” and is used in the U.S. for disease diagnoses (ICD-10-CM). ICD-10-PCS codes are used for coding procedures in inpatient settings. Both of these coding systems are used for medical claims and statistics purposes.
In general, ICD-10 codes are different for primary tumors (“malignant neoplasms”) and for secondary or metastasized tumors (“secondary malignant neoplasms”).
The International Classification of Diseases was developed in the 1850s as a system to standardize medical records and data using a single coding system. The ICD-10 (10th edition) began in 1983, with the World Health Organization managing the official list of codes. Countries that have adopted the ICD-10 have modified them based on their specific healthcare system requirements.
The U.S. version of the ICD-10 was constructed in collaboration with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The code consists of two sets of medical codes, the ICD-10-PCS and the ICD-10-CM. The former is mainly used for coding procedures used in inpatient settings, while the latter is used for disease diagnosis.
The coding systems are used for statistical purposes as well as for processing medical claims. "ICD" denotes the International Classification of Diseases, while the numerical figure "10" denotes the edition (the classification is currently in its 10th edition). ICD-10 codes are different for primary tumors (malignant neoplasms) and secondary or metastasized tumors (secondary malignant neoplasms).[1]
Currently, there are over 70,000 ICD-10-PCS codes and around 68,000 ICD-10-CM codes used for defining malignant neoplasms.[1]
What is the ICD 10 Code for cancer?
Cancer is used as a general term to describe the autonomous growth of tissue cells in the body, which exhibit a morphologic feature of malignancy. For example, nuclear pleomorphism, abnormal mitoses, severe atypia [2], tissue invasiveness, and so on.
These malignant cells then tend to spread to other areas of the body via the lymphatic system and the bloodstream. There are several major types of malignancy. Sarcoma is a malignancy that starts off in the muscles, fat, cartilage, bone, and other connective tissue.
Carcinoma is a malignancy that starts in either the skin or the tissues that provide a protective lining around the internal organs. Leukemia [3] is also a malignancy that begins in the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow, resulting in a large number of blood cells being abnormally formed. Cancer of the central nervous system is a severe form of malignancy that starts in the tissue of the spinal cord and the brain. Both multiple myeloma and lymphoma are considered to be malignancies of the cells in the body's immune system.
A malignant neoplasm may also metastasize to other anatomic sites within the body and may recur after excision. By far, the most common type of malignant neoplasms is sarcoma, melanoma, leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and carcinomas, which include both squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.
While tumors can start as either malignant or benign, they are both the result of multiplying cells. That being said, benign tumors are not cancerous, but malignant tumors are mainly because the cells from the malignant tumors can easily invade other organs and spread uncontrollably throughout the body. Most cancers get their name from where they start, and the symptoms and treatment depend on how much the cancer has metastasized.
Cancer Staging:
- /0 – The tumor is benign.
- /1 – It is not known for sure whether the tumor is benign or malignant.
- /2 – Early form of cancer
- /3 – It is malignant cancer.
- /6 – It is a metastasis.
- /9 – It is either malignant cancer or metastasis. The cells in the affected tissue are altered and multiply uncontrollably.
Primary Cancer ICD Code Lookup
Below is a table of the ICD 10 cancer codes for primary (malignant neoplasm) [4];
Conclusion
Cancer is a genetic disease that is treatable, provided the cancer is caught in its early stages. It is caused by changes to the genes which control the way cells function and, mainly, how they multiply. The genetic changes which occur in cancer are due to errors while the cells multiply. [5]