C11.2

Billable

Malignant neoplasm of lateral wall of nasopharynx

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 21 — Breast, Prostate, Colorectal and Other Cancers and Tumors

0.545

V24HCC 11 — Colorectal, Bladder, and Other Cancers

0.306

ESRDHCC 11 — Colorectal, Bladder, and Other Cancers

0.000

What This Code Means

Cancer that develops on the side wall of the nasopharynx, the upper throat region behind the nose.

Coding Tips

•Confirm documentation specifies lateral wall location to differentiate from posterior or anterior wall tumors
•Lateral wall tumors may present with symptoms related to Eustachian tube obstruction

Clinical Significance

Malignant neoplasm of the lateral wall of the nasopharynx is clinically important because the Eustachian tube opening is located on the lateral wall. Tumors here frequently cause unilateral serous otitis media and conductive hearing loss as presenting symptoms, which may be the first clinical clue to the diagnosis.

Documentation Requirements

✓Pathology-confirmed malignancy
✓Documentation specifying lateral wall of nasopharynx
✓Laterality (right or left lateral wall)
✓EBV status
✓Assessment of Eustachian tube obstruction and middle ear effusion
✓MRI staging including parapharyngeal space and skull base evaluation

Commonly Confused Codes

C11.1 — Posterior wall of nasopharynx; the lateral wall is on the side, the posterior wall is the back C11.0 — Superior wall of nasopharynx; the roof is distinct from the side walls C10.2 — Lateral wall of oropharynx; ensure the tumor is in the nasopharynx (upper pharynx) not oropharynx (middle pharynx)C11.8 — Overlapping sites of nasopharynx; use when tumor extends from lateral wall to other nasopharyngeal surfaces

Code Hierarchy

└C11Malignant neoplasm of nasopharynx └C11.2Malignant neoplasm of lateral wall of nasopharynx

└C11.2Malignant neoplasm of lateral wall of nasopharynx