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Compare/C38.0 vs C49.3

C38.0 vs C49.3

C38.0 (Malignant neoplasm of heart) compared with C49.3 (Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of thorax), 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. C38.0 carries an Excludes1 note covering C49.3: “malignant neoplasm of great vessels (C49.3)”

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

No — do not report together. C49.3 carries an Excludes1 note covering C38.0: “malignant neoplasm of heart (C38.0)”

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

C38.0Malignant neoplasm of heartC49.3Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of thorax
Billing statusBillableBillable
ClassificationC00-D49 — Neoplasms (C00-D49)C00-D49 — Neoplasms (C00-D49)
DefinitionMalignant neoplasm of heart is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (C38.0).Malignant neoplasm of connective and soft tissue of thorax is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (C49.3).
Includes
malignant neoplasm of middle ear
Malignant neoplasm of pericardium
malignant neoplasm of blood vessel
malignant neoplasm of bursa
malignant neoplasm of cartilage
malignant neoplasm of fascia

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