Lung Cancer ICD 10 Code

Refresher: What are ICD-10 codes?

ICD-10, the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases, is a coding system utilized by multiple healthcare authorities to code and classify different procedures, symptoms, and diagnoses. This system was created by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the 1800s to improve the healthcare infrastructure [¹].

Similar to ICD-9, ICD-10 helps in the identification of diseases and health issues. The switch to ICD-10 from ICD-9 was integral as the previous system had reached its capacity, and there wasn’t much room for expansion. These alphanumeric codes are utilized by healthcare professionals, like medical coders, nurses, physicians, information managers, and more, to retrieve diagnostic information and store data. The gathered information is also used to compile morbidity and mortality statistics [²].

All healthcare entities covered under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are mandated by the US Health and Human Services (HHS) to adhere to this coding system [³]. The cancer ICD-10 codes are particularly significant for the healthcare industry as they offer better information and guidelines regarding the severity of the disease. However, the primary and secondary cancer codes are different to provide more efficient details, guidelines, and diagnoses.

What is the ICD-10 code for Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer occurs in the lungs, particularly in the cells lining the air passages. It is one of the top leading causes of death worldwide and is often caused due to excessive smoking and use of tobacco, exposure to radon or asbestos, and secondhand smoke inhalation [⁴].

The lung cancer ICD-10 code helps healthcare providers in offering better treatment to patients. The ICD-10 code for primary lung cancer is C34, and the ICD-10 code for secondary lung cancer is C78.

Primary Lung Cancer ICD 10 code: C34

Primary Lung Cancer ICD code C34 lookup

There are multiple primary lung cancer categories included in ICD-10 code C34 [⁵]:

Types of Lung Cancer coded under C34

The lung cancer types under C34 include malignant neoplasm of [⁶]:

• Main bronchus
• Upper lung, bronchus, or lobe
• Middle lung, bronchus, or lobe
• Lower lung, bronchus, or lobe
• Overlapping lesions of lung and bronchus
• Unspecified Lung or bronchus

Lung cancers excluded from ICD-10 C34

The type of lung cancers that are not included in the C34 code are as follows [⁵]:

• Kaposi's sarcoma of lung
• malignant carcinoid tumor of the lung and bronchus

Secondary and metastatic Lung Cancer ICD 10 code: C78

Secondary or metastatic Lung Cancer ICD-10 code C78 lookup

The secondary lung cancer ICD-10 C78 includes the following [⁷]:

Conclusion

The lung cancer ICD-10 code is based on numerous factors, like the type and position of cancer, as well as the cancer severity and the unspecified and overlapping sites. Primary lung cancer comes under the ICD-10 code C34, and secondary lung cancer comes under C78.

It is vital to note that two types of lung cancer might be positioned in the same part, which is why to ensure the lung cancer, ICD-10 coding accuracy, the pathophysiology and origin of lung cancers, and the condition of the patient is important.