Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: What code should I report for a male patient with a malignant tumor in the upper, inner quadrant of the left breast?


Wyoming Subscriber


Answer: You should report 175.9 (Malignant neoplasm of male breast; other and unspecified sites of male breast) for this patient.

ICD-9 offers a more specific code for females (174.2, Malignant neoplasm of female breast; upper-inner quadrant), but this code is not an option for your male patient.

The only other male breast malignant neoplasm code is 175.0 (Malignant neoplasm of male breast; nipple and areola), which is not anatomically accurate for your patient, whose tumor is in the upper, inner quadrant.

Note: ICD-9 guidelines instruct you to report an additional code to identify the patient's receptor status (V86.0, Estrogen receptor positive status [ER+]; or V86.1, Estrogen receptor negative status [ER-]).

The answers for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions were reviewed by Cindy C. Parman, CPC, CPC-H, RCC, co-owner of Coding Strategies Inc. in Powder Springs, Ga., and past-president of the American Academy of Professional Coders National Advisory Board.