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Compare/C40 vs C96.9

C40 vs C96.9

C40 (Malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of limbs) compared with C96.9 (Malignant neoplasm of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue, unspecified), 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. C40 carries an Excludes1 note covering C96.9: “malignant neoplasm of bone marrow NOS (C96.9)”

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

C40Malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of limbsC96.9Malignant neoplasm of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue, unspecified
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: C40.00, C40.01, C40.02, C40.10, C40.11

Billable
ClassificationC00-D49 — Neoplasms (C00-D49)C00-D49 — Neoplasms (C00-D49)
DefinitionMalignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of limbs is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (C40).Malignant neoplasm of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissue, unspecified is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (C96.9).
Includes
malignant neoplasm of cartilage (articular) (joint)
malignant neoplasm of periosteum
Use additional code
code to identify major osseous defect, if applicable (M89.7-)

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