C50.322
BillableMalignant neoplasm of lower-inner quadrant of left male 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
Cancer that starts in the lower-inner area of the left breast in a male patient.
Coding Tips
- •Confirm left breast laterality is documented to differentiate from C50.321
- •Document the specific quadrant location to ensure appropriate code selection
Clinical Significance
Malignant neoplasm of the lower-inner quadrant of left male 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. Male breast cancer accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers, making accurate gender-specific coding particularly important for tracking and research.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Pathologic confirmation of invasive malignancy (biopsy with histologic type — ductal, lobular, etc.)
- ✓Laterality: left breast
- ✓Gender documented as male to support gender-specific code selection
- ✓Quadrant or subsite location: lower-inner quadrant
- ✓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
C50.321 — Lower-inner quadrant of right male breast; verify lateralityC50.329 — Lower-inner quadrant unspecified male; use only when laterality unknownC50.312 — Same laterality but female breast; verify patient genderC50.221-C50.229 — Upper-inner quadrant of male breast; same medial orientation, different vertical positionC50.121-C50.129 — Central portion of male breast; adjacent but distinct subsiteN62 — Gynecomastia; benign condition, not malignant
Code Hierarchy
└C50Malignant neoplasm of breast└C50.3Malignant neoplasm of lower-inner quadrant of breast└C50.32Malignant neoplasm of lower-inner quadrant of breast, male└C50.322Malignant neoplasm of lower-inner quadrant of left male breast
└C50.322Malignant neoplasm of lower-inner quadrant of left male breast