Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Revise Bilateral Ovarian Cancer Dx

Question: Our pathologist examined a bilateral oophorectomy specimen and diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer in both ovaries. Is it true that there’s not a specific ICD-10-CM code for bilateral ovarian cancer?

Illinois Subscriber

Answer: Although there was no single, specific ICD-10-CM code for bilateral ovarian cancer in the past, that changed with the Oct. 1, 2021, update to the code set.

Before the update you had two ovarian cancer codes: C56.1 (Malignant neoplasm of right ovary) and C56.2 (Malignant neoplasm of left ovary).

With the update, you now have a new ovarian cancer code that you can use to report bilateral ovarian cancer: C56.3 (Malignant neoplasm of bilateral ovaries).

Additional: The C56.- (Malignant neoplasm of ovary) codes all carry a “use additional code” instruction that directs you to report any functional activity. This means adding codes, when appropriate, for conditions such as:

  • E25.8 (Other adrenogenital disorders)
  • E28.0 (Estrogen excess)
  • E28.1 (Androgen excess)
  • E28.8 (Other ovarian dysfunction)
  • E30.1 (Precocious puberty)

Related: You also have another new code, C79.63 (Secondary malignant neoplasm of bilateral ovaries), to report cancer that has metastasized to both ovaries.


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