Renal Cancer ICD 10 Code

Refresher: What are ICD-10 codes?

The ICD-10, also known as the International Classification of Diseases, is a classification of diseases that aims to make it simpler for medical professionals and coders to classify different diseases.

Its primary goal is to provide more uniformity for the purposes of making accurate diagnostics, maintaining medical histories, and medical billing. The ICD-10 is the latest collection of these codes, taking over from ICD-9 [1].

The ICD-10 is noted for its high level of specificity for diseases compared to the ICD-9. Due to this level of specificity, the ICD-10 has well over 70,000 codes, and new ones are being added with routine updates. By comparison, the ICD-9 only has about 13,000 codes with less emphasis on specificity.

Healthcare organizations in the US use a modified version of the ICD-10, known as the ICD-10-CM, with CM standing for clinical modification. Both systems are virtually the same with no difference in their codes, but the ICD-10-CM makes medical billing easier for organizations.

You may have also come across the term ICD-10 PCS, with PCS standing for Procedure Coding System. This system is used for inpatient hospital care and has a different set of medical codes.

The ICD-10 codes used for the classification of various types of tumors (primary malignant neoplasms) and secondary or metastasized tumors (secondary malignant neoplasms) will be discussed below.

What is the ICD 10 code for Renal Cell Cancer?

For primary renal cell cancer, the general ICD-10 code is C64 (malignant neoplasm of the unspecified kidney), whereas, for secondary or metastatic tumors, the ICD-10 code is C79.0 (secondary malignant neoplasm of kidney and renal pelvis) [2].

Renal Cell Cancer ICD 10 code: C64

Renal Cell Cancer ICD code C64 lookup

Below is a table of the ICD 10 renal cell cancer codes for primary kidney cancers, which are classified under C64, “malignant neoplasm of the kidney” [3]:

C64: Malignant neoplasm of renal cell cancer

malignant neoplasm of renal cell cancer

Renal cell disease is fairly common in the US, with approximately 82,000 new cases being added every year. Almost 15,000 people die of renal cell cancer complications yearly [4]. The high mortality rate of renal cell cancer makes it necessary to diagnose the disease as early as possible using the ICD-10 code to begin treatment and prevent disease progression.

The most common symptoms of renal cell cancer include [5]:

  • Presence of blood in the urine
  • Lower back pain on one side (usually indicating the location of the cancer)
  • Unexplainable loss of weight
  • Feeling lethargic
  • Low hemoglobin in the body because the body isn’t making enough red blood cells
  • Excessive sweating
  • High blood pressure
  • Hypercalcemia
  • High blood pressure
  • Lack of appetite and decrease in hunger levels
  • High fever

Note that these symptoms can overlap with those found in other types of cancers and it is necessary to consult with a healthcare professional for accurate diagnosis. CT and MRI scans may be performed to diagnose kidney cancer, although doctors may also perform a biopsy if they require more details about the tumor.

Types of Renal Cell Cancer coded under C64

The ICD 10 code C64 does not specify the subtype of renal cell cancer. A C64 code can be used for primary renal cell cancers of various cell types:

  • Renal cell carcinoma
  • Grawitz’s tumors
  • Adenocarcinoma metastatic to bilateral kidneys
  • Adenocarcinoma, metastatic cancer of the right kidney
  • Sarcoma, cancer of the right kidney
  • Cancer of the right kidney
  • Clear cell carcinoma of the right kidney
  • Bilateral kidney cancer
  • Renal leiomyosarcoma
  • Malignant tumor of both kidneys
  • Nephroblastoma of both kidneys
  • Nephroblastoma of the right kidney
  • Bilateral primary leiomyosarcoma
  • Bilateral renal cell carcinoma
  • Bilateral kidney sarcoma
  • Secondary adenocarcinoma of bilateral kidneys
  • Transitional cell carcinoma of bilateral kidneys
  • Wilms tumor of bilateral kidneys
  • Wilms tumor of the right kidney
  • Localized primary malignant neoplasm of the kidney

In other words, renal cell cancer ICD 10, renal cell carcinoma ICD 10, and bilateral renal cell carcinoma ICD 10 codes could all be C64 if they are determined to be primary malignant neoplasm of the kidney. As a concrete example, a patient diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma of the right kidney, with a single tumor found in the right kidney, would be coded with C64.1.

A quick comparison of the ICD-10 with the outdated ICD-9 coding system reveals that the former allows for more detail and specificity, which is advantageous to the patient. For example, renal cell cancer may be classified as “malignant neoplasm of kidney except for pelvis” under ICD-9 189.0 [6]. However, the ICD-10 will go one step further in specifying the location of the cancer, for example, the same cancer may be coded as “malignant neoplasm of the left kidney”.

This increased level of specificity provides several advantages to both patients and their healthcare professionals in the treatment of the disease. The high level of specificity also makes it easier for the patient to undergo treatment if they are seeking consultation with different physicians.

ICD-10 also allows medical organizations to store medical histories in a consistent and organized manner, so that healthcare professionals from other organizations may know that it was the left kidney that has cancer and not the right kidney.

With that said, there may be a few disadvantages associated with switching to ICD-10. For one, upgrading the existing network infrastructure from ICD-9 to ICD-10 may be too expensive and resource-intensive for organizations. Service providers will charge an extra amount for updating the systems.

At the same time, healthcare providers and medical coders will be required to acquire new certifications in line with the ICD-10-CM. This means attending more classes and seminars - all of which can require an investment of both time and money. Taking the exam may also be very expensive for healthcare professionals.

Switching to ICD-10 also requires doctors to make changes to their billing system, which may take a long time for healthcare providers to get adjusted to. Organizations with a smaller budget may find it difficult to accommodate the new billing system and may even notice a drop in productivity.

It is also worth mentioning that the increased specificity of the ICD-10 coding system requires organizations to process high volumes of data for accuracy. This makes it more likely for the organization to miscode the cancer, which can have a negative outcome for the patient. For example, if the coder misguided the cancer of the left kidney, although the patient had cancer of the right kidney, future healthcare providers may rely on the original coding.

This high level of inaccuracy could lead to a different diagnosis and treatment for the patient. Besides incorrect treatment that could further exacerbate their symptoms (and expose them to undesirable side effects), miscoding may also result in the denial of healthcare insurance.

Renal cell cancers excluded from ICD-10 C64

  • Malignant carcinoid tumor of the kidney (C7A.093) [7]
  • Malignant neoplasm of the renal calyces (C65-)
  • Malignant neoplasm of the renal pelvis (C65-) [8]

Secondary malignant neoplasm of the kidney ICD 10 code: C79.0

Secondary malignant neoplasm of the kidney ICD-10 code C79.0 lookup

Below is a table of the ICD 10 secondary renal cell cancer, which is classified under C79.0, “secondary malignant neoplasm of the kidney”:

C79.0: Secondary malignant neoplasm of the kidney

secondary malignant neoplasm of the kidney

Common synonyms for secondary and metastatic renal cancer include:

  • Cancer metastatic to both kidneys
  • Cancer metastatic to both kidneys and the renal pelvis
  • Cancer metastatic to the left kidney
  • Cancer metastatic to the right kidney
  • Melanoma metastatic to both kidneys
  • Melanoma metastatic to the left (or right) kidney
  • Secondary malignant melanoma of both kidneys
  • Secondary malignant melanoma of both kidneys from the eye
  • Secondary malignant melanoma of the left (or right) kidney from the eye
  • Bilateral secondary malignant neoplasm of the kidneys from the eye
  • Bilateral secondary malignant neoplasm of both kidneys and the renal pelvis
  • Secondary small cell carcinoma of the left (or right) kidney
  • Secondary small cell carcinoma of both kidneys
  • Secondary squamous cell carcinoma of both kidneys
  • Secondary squamous cell carcinoma of the left (or right) kidney
  • Squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to both kidneys

Conclusion

The specific coding system used for renal cell cancer is ICD-64, which allows for detailed diagnostics of the malignant neoplasm of the kidney (left, right, bilateral, or unspecified). The coding system does not apply to malignant neoplasm of the renal pelvis or renal calyces.

This comprehensive look at the ICD-10 coding system for renal cell cancer is meant to be used for reference purposes only. If you experience any symptoms of renal cell cancer, you should visit a healthcare professional right away for diagnosis, treatment, and questions related to the ICD-10 C64 codes discussed above.