ICD 10 Coding Alert

Question: The surgeon removed a breast mass from a 42-year-old male. The surgical report described the location of the mass as the right nipple and areola. The pathology report stated “infiltrating ductal carcinoma.” What is the correct diagnosis code?

South Carolina Subscriber

Answer: The correct diagnosis code for the case is C50.021- (Malignant neoplasm of nipple and areola, right male breast).

The correct code family is C50, because infiltrating or invasive ductal carcinoma is a malignant tumor. Don’t confuse this condition with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is malignant, but not spread to surrounding tissue and reports to a different code category.

Men, too: Unlike ICD-9-CM, which listed male and female breast cancer in different categories, you’ll find malignant breast cancer for both men and women described by category C50. The fourth digit describes the site on the breast where the cancer is found, such as “0” for nipple or areola. The fifth digit defines “1” for female breast of “2” for male breast. Finally, the sixth digit defines right (1), left (2) or unspecified (9) breast.