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Compare/C26 vs C48

C26 vs C48

C26 (Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined digestive organs) compared with C48 (Malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. C26 carries an Excludes1 note covering C48: “malignant neoplasm of peritoneum and retroperitoneum (C48.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

C26Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined digestive organsC48Malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: C26.0, C26.1, C26.9

Non-billable header

Report instead: C48.0, C48.1, C48.2, C48.8

ClassificationC00-D49 — Neoplasms (C00-D49)C00-D49 — Neoplasms (C00-D49)
DefinitionMalignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined digestive organs is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (C26).Malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (C48).

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources