Vulvar Cancer ICD 10 Code

Refresher: What are ICD-10 codes?

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) makes it simpler for healthcare professionals to classify various diseases to a reasonably high degree of accuracy. Its primary purpose is to provide more uniformity for healthcare organizations to codify medical problems. The ICD-10 is the tenth and latest version of the codes, taking over from the ICD-9 [¹].

A quick overview of the ICD-10 shows a collection of over 70,000 codes that offer very high specificity for diseases to accurately identify the patient’s condition. This allows medical providers and coding professionals to have a clearer picture of the medical disease.

To put things in perspective, the ICD-9 had only 13.000 codes with very little room for specificity. The ICD-10 provides more details as to how a patient’s vulvar cancer is coded.

For example, tumors of the vulvar may simply be classified as ‘malignant neoplasm of the vulva’ in ICD-9. In the case of ICD-10, the cancer can be coded as ‘malignant neoplasm of the labium majus’. This high specificity can have major repercussions on treatment and patient outcomes.

Some people often confuse ICD-10 and ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification). In essence, both coding systems are the same, with no difference in their codes. Simply put, the ICD-10-CM is simply a clinical modification of the ICD-10, allowing US healthcare professionals to apply for medical billing.

The ICD-10 PCS, however, uses an entirely different set of codes for medical procedures performed in hospital inpatient settings.

What is the ICD 10 code for Vulvar Cancer?

For primary Vulvar Cancer tumors, the general ICD-10 code is C51 (malignant neoplasm of the vulva). In the case of secondary or metastatic tumors, the ICD-10 code is C79.82 (secondary malignant neoplasm of the vulva). Note that the codes under C51 do not include carcinoma in situ of the vulva (D07.1).

For example, basal cell carcinoma of the vulva is coded under C51. These malignant lesions mostly arise from the vulva but can metastasize elsewhere in the body.

The ICD-10 C51 also covers verrucous carcinoma vulva and Bartholin’s gland carcinoma. Vulvar cancer is not very common and usually affects postmenopausal women. However, malignant neoplasm of the vulva has been known to occur in younger women. It is estimated that roughly 5578 women were diagnosed with vulvar cancer (only 2.6 per 100,000 women). Of these, 1347 died due to complications from the disease (or about 0.6 per 100,000 women) [²]

Studies are also suggesting that vulvar cancer is becoming more common in younger patients [³].

The most common symptoms of vulvar cancer include:

• Burning and soreness in the vulva
• A lump or wart-like growth on the vulva
• Thickened skin patches in the vulva
• A mole on the vulva that changes color or shape
• A discharge coming from the lesion in the vulva
• Swollen lymph nodes in the groin area

Note that the presence of these symptoms does not always indicate a malignant neoplasm of the vulva. Diagnosis of primary vulvar cancer is difficult and should be examined by a healthcare practitioner at the earliest.

A surgeon will take a tissue sample (biopsy) to study the presence of cancer tissues in the vulva. Once the presence of malignant neoplasm of the vulva is confirmed, the patient may be asked to undergo surgery. If the cancer cannot be removed from surgery, the doctor may prescribe radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

If the cancer has metastasized (spread to other areas of the body) and surgery is deemed to be too risky for the patient, then the most common treatment plan may be radiation therapy. Patients will be prescribed low dose chemotherapy every week (usually with cisplatin) and other radiation treatments. This combination is known as chemoradiation. Surgery may be performed to remove the vulvar lesion if the tumor does not go away after exposure to chemotherapy.

Primary Vulvar Cancer ICD 10 code: C51

Primary Vulvar Cancer ICD code C51 lookup

Below is a table of the ICD 10 Vulvar Cancer codes for primary vulvar cancers, which are classified under C51, “malignant neoplasm of the vulva” [⁴].

C51: Malignant neoplasm of vulva

Types of Vulvar Cancer coded under C51

The ICD 10 code C51 does not specify the subtype of vulva cancer. A C51 code can be used for primary vulvar cancers of various cell types:

• Basal cell carcinoma of the vulva
• Verrucous carcinoma vulva
• Vulvar sarcomas
• Bartholin’s gland carcinoma

In other words, malignant neoplasm of vulva ICD 10, vulvar cancer ICD 10, and vulvar sarcomas ICD 10 codes could all be C51 if they are determined to be primary malignant neoplasia of the vulva. As a concrete example, a patient diagnosed with malignant neoplasm of the clitoris, with a single tumor found in the clitoris, would be coded with C51.2.

A quick comparison of ICD-10 codes with their ICD-9 equivalents shows that the former is far more detailed. This increased level of specificity provides several advantages to the patient in terms of treatment of the disease, especially when the patient visits different healthcare providers. Furthermore, the ICD-10 allows more consistency in the storage of medical history in an organized manner. This would allow healthcare professionals to know that the malignant neoplasm is affecting the clitoris and not the labium majus, for example.

Although there are clear advantages of using ICD-10 codes for codifying vulvar cancers, a few disadvantages should be discussed. For example, many healthcare organizations have to upgrade their existing digital infrastructure from ICD-9 to ICD-10 - which can prove to be extremely costly. Many service providers will charge exorbitant amounts to medical organizations.

It's also worth noting that healthcare professionals and medical coders will be required to upgrade their certifications, which means having to enroll in classes and seminars, which can be very costly. Taking the exams to receive appropriate certifications can also be very expensive.

Switching to ICD-10 codes also entails having to reformat the billing system, which can be a long and arduous task. It also has a steep learning curve with a lot of room for error. Medical organizations with a smaller budget, in particular, may find the process too cost-prohibitive with too much loss of productivity.

The increased specificity of ICD-10 may be advantageous, but it can backfire if the medical coder fails to accurately code the diseases. Miscoding the disease can put the patient’s healthcare in increased jeopardy and may even result in the denial of their healthcare insurance.

Vulvar cancers excluded from ICD-10 C51

• Carcinoma in situ of vulva (D07.1)

Also known as vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), carcinoma in situ of the vulva is characterized by the presence of abnormal cells on the surface of the vulvar skin. The cells can become cancerous and spread into nearby tissue. The most common site for carcinoma of the vulva is in or around the vulva. It may also occur on the clitoris or in the glands on the sides of the vaginal opening.

Note that the symptoms of carcinoma in situ of the vulva can be confused with primary vulvar cancer due to overlapping symptoms. This is why the patient needs to visit a doctor for an accurate diagnosis (usually with the help of a biopsy or tissue sample). As a rule, the earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the easier it would be to treat it (including the surgery).

Secondary and metastatic Vulvar Cancer ICD 10 code: C79.82

Secondary or metastatic Vulvar Cancer ICD-10 code C79.82 Lookup

C79.82, billable as ICD-10-CM, is used to indicate secondary malignant neoplasm of genital organs. It can describe cancer of the vulva, vagina, and uterus. Common synonyms for secondary and metastatic vulvar cancer include [⁵]:

• Metastatic cervical cancer
• Metastatic vulvar cancer
• Metastatic vaginal cancer
• Secondary malignant neoplasm of the female genital organ
• Secondary malignant neoplasm of the uterus
• Secondary malignant neoplasm of vagina
• Secondary malignant neoplasm of vulva

Conclusion

So, there you have a comprehensive look at the ICD-10 coding system for vulvar cancer. The specific code used for vulvar cancer will depend on the specific site of the primary malignant neoplasm and whether it affects the clitoris, labium majus, or labium minus. Primary vulvar cancer falls under the ICD-10 C51 code but does not include carcinoma in situ of the vulva (D07.1) [⁶].

Please note that this information may only be used for reference purposes and does not replace medical professional advice from a healthcare expert. If you experience any of the symptoms of vulvar cancer or believe you have vulvar cancer, please visit a healthcare professional for diagnosis, treatment, and any questions, including the ICD-10 C51 codes discussed above.