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C06.9 vs C08.0

C06.9 (Malignant neoplasm of mouth, unspecified) compared with C08.0 (Malignant neoplasm of submandibular gland), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because C08.0 lists C06.9 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

Title wording.The titles share “Malignant neoplasm of”; C06.9 says “mouth, unspecified” where C08.0 says “submandibular gland”.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.C08.0 lists C06.9 under Excludes2: “malignant neoplasms of minor salivary glands NOS (C06.9)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.C08.0’s tabular entry: “malignant neoplasms of minor salivary glands NOS (C06.9)”. The note covers C06.9.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Nothing found in 4 other checks; 1 check does not apply
Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. C08.0 carries 1 Excludes1 note covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Is one a parent or header code?

No.Both are billable codes, and neither contains the other.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

C08.0
Malignant neoplasm of submandibular gland
↔
C06.9
Malignant neoplasm of mouth, unspecified

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.C08.0 carries an Excludes2 note covering C06.9: “malignant neoplasms of minor salivary glands NOS (C06.9)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
C06.9

Malignant neoplasm of mouth, unspecified

C08.0

Malignant neoplasm of submandibular gland

StatusSame for both
Billable
Excludes1Differs
C06.9

None at this code

C08.0
  • malignant neoplasms of specified minor salivary glands which are classified according to their anatomical location
Excludes2Differs
C06.9

None at this code

C08.0
  • malignant neoplasms of minor salivary glands NOS (C06.9)
  • malignant neoplasm of parotid gland (C07)
Use additional codeDiffers
Only at C06.9

No note of its own beyond the shared notes

Only at C08.0
  • exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
  • exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)
  • occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)
Shared by both codes (5 notes)
  • code to identify:
  • alcohol abuse and dependence (F10.-)
  • history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)
  • tobacco dependence (F17.-)
  • tobacco use (Z72.0)
CategoryDiffers
C06.9

C06 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of mouth

C08.0

C08 Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified major salivary glands

ChapterSame for both

C00-D49 — Neoplasms (C00-D49)

IncludesDiffers
C06.9
  • Malignant neoplasm of minor salivary gland, unspecified site
  • Malignant neoplasm of oral cavity NOS
C08.0
  • malignant neoplasm of salivary ducts
  • Malignant neoplasm of submaxillary gland

No Code first, Code also and 7th character note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, each code’s own notes are listed under it, and the notes every code shares are listed once beneath them.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources