C50.011
BillableMalignant neoplasm of nipple and areola, right female breast
HCC Category Mapping
V28HCC 23 — Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers
0.251V24HCC 12 — Breast, Prostate, and Other Cancers and Tumors
0.150ESRDHCC 12 — Breast, Prostate, and Other Cancers and Tumors
0.000RxHCCHCC 22 — Cancer, Other Specified Sites
0.000What This Code Means
Breast cancer that starts in the nipple or the dark area around the nipple (areola) on the right breast in a female patient.
Coding Tips
- •The first '0' indicates nipple and areola location; the '1' specifies right breast; the final '1' indicates female
- •Ensure gender is documented in the medical record, as C50 codes require gender specification
Clinical Significance
Malignant neoplasm of the nipple and areola, right female breast represents invasive breast cancer requiring staging, treatment planning, and ongoing surveillance. Breast cancer is risk-adjusted because it demands significant healthcare resources including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and long-term monitoring.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Pathologic confirmation of malignancy — distinguish Paget disease of nipple from invasive carcinoma with nipple involvement
- ✓Laterality: right breast
- ✓Gender documented as female to support gender-specific code selection
- ✓Quadrant or subsite location: nipple and areola
- ✓Tumor size (T stage) and grade
- ✓Lymph node status (N stage) — axillary, sentinel node biopsy results
- ✓Estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 status
- ✓Stage grouping (I-IV)
- ✓Current treatment status (active treatment, hormonal therapy, surveillance)
Commonly Confused Codes
C50.012 — Left female breast nipple/areola; verify lateralityC50.019 — Unspecified female breast; use only when laterality cannot be determinedC50.021 — Same laterality but male breast; verify patient genderC50.111-C50.119 — Central portion of female breast; central portion is distinct from nipple/areolaD05.x — Carcinoma in situ of breast; must distinguish invasive from in situ disease
Code Hierarchy
└C50Malignant neoplasm of breast└C50.0Malignant neoplasm of nipple and areola└C50.01Malignant neoplasm of nipple and areola, female└C50.011Malignant neoplasm of nipple and areola, right female breast
└C50.011Malignant neoplasm of nipple and areola, right female breast