C22.2
BillableHepatoblastoma
HCC Category Mapping
V28HCC 20 — Lung and Other Severe Cancers
0.000V24HCC 9 — Lung and Other Severe Cancers
0.973ESRDHCC 9 — Lung and Other Severe Cancers
0.000RxHCCHCC 20 — Cancer, Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct
0.000What This Code Means
A type of liver cancer that primarily affects infants and young children, arising from immature liver cells. It is the most common liver cancer in children.
Coding Tips
- •Verify patient age documentation; this diagnosis is almost exclusively in pediatric patients
- •Document any associated syndromes or genetic conditions if present
Clinical Significance
Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver malignancy in children, typically presenting before age 3. It is a rare embryonal tumor with a generally better prognosis than adult liver cancers when diagnosed and treated early. Risk adjustment capture is important because treatment involves complex multimodal therapy including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgical resection, and potential liver transplantation, all requiring specialized pediatric oncology care.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Pathological confirmation of hepatoblastoma histology
- ✓Patient age (predominantly pediatric; adult cases are extremely rare)
- ✓Alpha-fetoprotein level (typically markedly elevated)
- ✓PRETEXT staging or equivalent
- ✓Any associated genetic syndromes (Beckwith-Wiedemann, familial adenomatous polyposis)
Commonly Confused Codes
C22.0 — Hepatocellular carcinoma: occurs in adults; hepatoblastoma is the pediatric counterpart with different histologyC22.8 — Primary liver cancer, unspecified type: use C22.2 when hepatoblastoma is pathologically confirmedC96.A — Histiocytic sarcoma: rare pediatric liver tumor that may be confused with hepatoblastoma