C43.71

Billable

Malignant melanoma of right lower limb, including hip

HCC Category Mapping

V28HCC 23 — Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers

0.251

V24HCC 12 — Breast, Prostate, and Other Cancers and Tumors

0.150

ESRDHCC 12 — Breast, Prostate, and Other Cancers and Tumors

0.000

RxHCCHCC 22 — Cancer, Other Specified Sites

0.000

What This Code Means

A type of skin cancer (melanoma) that develops on the right lower leg, foot, or hip. This serious cancer requires prompt treatment.

Coding Tips

•Confirm documentation specifies right side to differentiate from left side (C43.72)
•Include hip as part of lower limb anatomy for this code

Clinical Significance

Malignant melanoma of the right lower limb, including the hip. The lower extremity is a leading site for melanoma, with the calf and thigh being common locations. Acral melanoma of the foot, including subungual melanoma of the toenails, is also coded here and is more common in individuals with darker skin pigmentation.

Documentation Requirements

✓Right-side laterality explicitly documented
✓Specific lower limb location (hip, thigh, knee, leg/calf, ankle, foot, toes)
✓Breslow depth and ulceration status
✓Sentinel lymph node biopsy of inguinal and/or popliteal nodes
✓AJCC staging and mitotic rate
✓Whether this is cutaneous vs. acral subtype

Commonly Confused Codes

C43.72 — Melanoma of LEFT lower limb; opposite laterality C43.70 — Melanoma of UNSPECIFIED lower limb; less specific C43.59 — Melanoma of trunk; hip/buttock boundary classification C44.71 — Other skin cancer of right lower limb; for non-melanoma skin cancers