C50.421
BillableMalignant neoplasm of upper-outer quadrant of right 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 develops in the upper-outer area of the right breast in men. Male breast cancer is rare but can occur.
Coding Tips
- •Confirm the patient is male and the tumor is in the right breast before coding
- •Male breast cancer codes use the 4 in the 5th position; do not confuse with female breast codes
Clinical Significance
Malignant neoplasm of the upper-outer quadrant of right 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: right breast
- ✓Gender documented as male to support gender-specific code selection
- ✓Quadrant or subsite location: upper-outer 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
C50.422 — Upper-outer quadrant of left male breast; verify lateralityC50.429 — Upper-outer quadrant unspecified male; use only when laterality unknownC50.411 — Same laterality but female breast; verify patient genderC50.221-C50.229 — Upper-inner quadrant of male breast; inner vs. outer confusionC50.121-C50.129 — Central portion of male breast; adjacent but distinct subsiteN62 — Gynecomastia; benign condition, not malignant
Code Hierarchy
└C50Malignant neoplasm of breast└C50.4Malignant neoplasm of upper-outer quadrant of breast└C50.42Malignant neoplasm of upper-outer quadrant of breast, male└C50.421Malignant neoplasm of upper-outer quadrant of right male breast
└C50.421Malignant neoplasm of upper-outer quadrant of right male breast