C50.422
BillableMalignant neoplasm of upper-outer 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 develops in the upper-outer area of the left breast in men. Male breast cancer is uncommon but requires specific coding.
Coding Tips
- •Verify male gender and left breast location in the documentation
- •Remember that male breast cancer codes differ from female codes in the 4th digit position
Clinical Significance
Male breast cancer of the upper-outer quadrant of the left breast is a rare malignancy accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancers. Accurate site and laterality documentation is critical for staging, surgical planning, and risk adjustment, as male breast cancers often present at later stages due to delayed detection.
Documentation Requirements
- ✓Confirmed male patient sex
- ✓Laterality documented as left breast
- ✓Specific quadrant identified as upper-outer
- ✓Histological type (invasive ductal carcinoma is most common in males)
- ✓Tumor stage (TNM classification)
- ✓Receptor status (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2) when available
- ✓Current treatment status (active treatment, surveillance, or history of)
Commonly Confused Codes
C50.412 — Malignant neoplasm of upper-outer quadrant of left female breast; coders confuse the 4th character (1=female, 2=male) which drives gender-specific codingC50.429 — Malignant neoplasm of upper-outer quadrant of unspecified male breast; used only when laterality is unknown, but coders default to unspecified instead of queryingC50.922 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified site of left male breast; less specific site designation when the quadrant is actually documented