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C33 ICD-10-CM Code: Malignant neoplasm of trachea

Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
1 inclusion term · 1 Excludes1 · 7 use-additional codes
Risk adjustment
CMS-HCC V28: 1 category · CMS-HCC V22 category 9 · RxHCC V08 category 20

Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, Appendix B.

  • MS-DRG 180 — RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITH MCC (MDC 04)
  • MS-DRG 181 — RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITH CC (MDC 04)
  • MS-DRG 182 — RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 04)

A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.

Risk Adjustment (CMS-HCC)

Payment categories this diagnosis maps to under CMS-HCC V28, payment year 2026.

  • HCC 20 — Lung and Other Severe Cancers (supersedes HCC 21, HCC 22, HCC 23)

Other models: CMS-HCC V22 HCC 9 · RxHCC V08 HCC 20

Risk scores depend on the enrollee's full accepted diagnosis set and segment; a category mapping alone does not determine payment.

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for C33 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026

Notes without a marker are published on C33 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Includes

Conditions the official ICD-10-CM tabular list includes under this code.

  • malignant neoplasm of middle ear

Source: inherited from C30-C39

Excludes1 — Not Coded Here

Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Source: inherited from C30-C39

Use Additional Code

Supplementary codes the tabular list directs you to add.

  • Use additional code to identify:
  • exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z77.22)
  • exposure to tobacco smoke in the perinatal period (P96.81)
  • history of tobacco dependence (Z87.891)
  • occupational exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (Z57.31)
  • tobacco dependence (F17.-)
  • tobacco use (Z72.0)

Coder workflow for C33

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code C33

  1. Confirm the documented site and behavior (this code’s block classifies malignant neoplasms), whether the site is primary or secondary, and whether the malignancy is current or a personal history: a previously excised malignancy with no further treatment and no evidence of disease is history, not current disease. Verify the site against the Table of Neoplasms. Neoplasm chapter guidelines (Guidelines I.C.2.a, I.C.2.d, I.C.2.m).

    See the Table of Neoplasms entries · Guide: Active cancer vs history of cancer →

  2. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with C33. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

    See the official tabular notes

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support a condition named in C33’s Excludes1 note?
    Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
    No → Continue.

    ReviewC45

Consider C33. Then work the Use Additional Code note, and confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Anatomical site
At the most specific level the record states; a site the classification separates cannot be assumed from a procedure or a measurement.
The conditions the Use Additional Code note names
Reported with this code when documented; a conditional instruction (“if applicable”, “if known”) applies only when the record supports it.
Behavior and current-versus-history status
Malignant, in situ, benign or uncertain; primary or secondary; current disease or personal history (Guidelines I.C.2.m).

Official instructions as workflow

  • Excludes1 — check before selecting C33(1 note)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with C33: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareC45

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a

  • Use Additional Code — after identifying C33(7 notes)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the documentation supports the additional code(s) the note names, and report them with C33 when it does. Where the instruction is conditional (“if applicable”, “if known”), it applies only when the record documents the condition.

    ReviewZ77.22, P96.81, Z87.891, Z57.31, F17, Z72.0

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: Both the condition C33 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.

Coding question: Can both codes be reported?

Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.

Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).

ReviewC45

Documentation: A condition the Use Additional Code note names is documented.

Coding question: Is a second code reported with C33?

Path: Review the Use Additional Code note and the code it names.

Reason: The additional code is reported when the record documents the condition; a conditional instruction applies only when its condition is met (Guidelines I.A.13).

ReviewZ77.22, P96.81, Z87.891, Z57.31, F17, Z72.0

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Code Overview

Malignant neoplasm of trachea is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (C33).

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Neoplasm Table Sites (3)

Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing

Anatomical sites from the official ICD-10-CM Table of Neoplasms that map to this code, with the matching behavior column.

  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, cartilage NEC (articular) (joint), trachea — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, trachea (cartilage) (mucosa) — Malignant, Primary
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, windpipe — Malignant, Primary

Don’t confuse C33 with…

MedCoder analysis — pairs from this code’s official notes, distinctions written by MedCoder

The codes most likely to be picked instead of C33 — named in its own official notes, or sharing its laterality or encounter family — with what separates them and which documentation moves the case. Each links to the full comparison.

  • C45— Excludes1 conflict (Excludes1 — generally not reported together)

    Not coded here — the tabular list excludes this pair for the same encounter.

    Not reported together with this code, except where the two conditions are documented as unrelated.

    What moves you there: Documentation of mesothelioma moves the case to C45; the two are not reported together unless documented as unrelated.

    Full comparison: C33 vs C45 →

Relationships are read from this code's own official notes, its laterality siblings and its encounter family; the wording of each distinction is MedCoder editorial, and the documentation named in each “what moves you there” line is the official note phrase or sibling title itself. Source: CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes; ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a.

Verify Before Coding

  • CC as a secondary diagnosis (FY2027). Can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name C33 or its code family, from the CMS Table of Neoplasms and the CMS Table of Neoplasms (site match derived from the code title).

Referenced by 5 Same-site neoplasm codes: C78.39 — Secondary malignant neoplasm of other respiratory organsCompare C33 vs C78.39 →, D02.1 — Carcinoma in situ of tracheaCompare C33 vs D02.1 →, D14.2 — Benign neoplasm of tracheaCompare C33 vs D14.2 →, D38.1 — Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of trachea, bronchus and lungCompare C33 vs D38.1 →, D49.1 — Neoplasm of unspecified behavior of respiratory systemCompare C33 vs D49.1 →.

These codes represent related neoplasm behaviors affecting the same anatomic site.

Referenced by 3 Screening & history codes: Z80.1 — Family history of malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lungCompare C33 vs Z80.1 →, Z85.1 — Personal history of malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lungCompare C33 vs Z85.1 →, Z85.12 — Personal history of malignant neoplasm of tracheaCompare C33 vs Z85.12 →.

These codes represent screening tests and history codes that refer to this active disease condition.

MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2027)

Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.

FY2027 MS-DRG: CC — Complication or Comorbidity. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, this code raises the stay's MS-DRG severity tier — except when the principal diagnosis is one of 46 clinically related codes on its CMS exclusion list.

Named in the grouper logic of 3 MS-DRGs: DRG 180 (MDC 04), DRG 181 (MDC 04), DRG 182 (MDC 04).

From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.

Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):NEO022 — Respiratory cancers (default).

Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Related Codes

Same clinical process (MS-DRG)

Acts as CC — raises the severity of other admissions. CMS groups these diagnoses into one MS-DRG principal-diagnosis exclusion process — a CC/MCC on this list never raises severity when the principal diagnosis is also on it.

C34.00 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified main bronchus, C34.01 — Malignant neoplasm of right main bronchus, C34.02 — Malignant neoplasm of left main bronchus, C34.10 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.11 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, right bronchus or lung, C34.12 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, left bronchus or lung, C34.2 — Malignant neoplasm of middle lobe, bronchus or lung, C34.30 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.31 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, right bronchus or lung, C34.32 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, left bronchus or lung, C34.80 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of unspecified bronchus and lung, C34.81 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of right bronchus and lung, C34.82 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of left bronchus and lung, C34.90 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.91 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of right bronchus or lung, C34.92 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of left bronchus or lung, C39.9 — Malignant neoplasm of lower respiratory tract, part unspecified, C45.7 — Mesothelioma of other sites, C45.9 — Mesothelioma, unspecified, C46.50 — Kaposi's sarcoma of unspecified lung, +25 more

Same CMS-HCC risk category (V28)

CMS maps these diagnoses to the same Hierarchical Condition Category (Lung and Other Severe Cancers) for risk-adjusted payment.

C24.8 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of biliary tract, C24.9 — Malignant neoplasm of biliary tract, unspecified, C25.0 — Malignant neoplasm of head of pancreas, C25.1 — Malignant neoplasm of body of pancreas, C25.2 — Malignant neoplasm of tail of pancreas, C25.3 — Malignant neoplasm of pancreatic duct, C25.4 — Malignant neoplasm of endocrine pancreas, C25.7 — Malignant neoplasm of other parts of pancreas, C25.8 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of pancreas, C25.9 — Malignant neoplasm of pancreas, unspecified, C34.00 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified main bronchus, C34.01 — Malignant neoplasm of right main bronchus, C34.02 — Malignant neoplasm of left main bronchus, C34.10 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.11 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, right bronchus or lung, C34.12 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, left bronchus or lung, C34.2 — Malignant neoplasm of middle lobe, bronchus or lung, C34.30 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.31 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, right bronchus or lung, C34.32 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, left bronchus or lung, +212 more

Related risk categories

These categories interact through CMS's HCC hierarchy — one can suppress the other's risk-adjustment weight when both are present on a claim.

Cancer Metastatic to Lung, Liver, Brain, and Other Organs; Acute Myeloid Leukemia Except Promyelocytic, Cancer Metastatic to Bone, Other and Unspecified Metastatic Cancer; Acute Leukemia Except Myeloid, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Multiple Myeloma, and Other Cancers, Lymphoma and Other Cancers, Bladder, Colorectal, and Other Cancers, Prostate, Breast, and Other Cancers and Tumors

Same clinical category (CCSR)

AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical category (Respiratory cancers).

C34.00 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified main bronchus, C34.01 — Malignant neoplasm of right main bronchus, C34.02 — Malignant neoplasm of left main bronchus, C34.10 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.11 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, right bronchus or lung, C34.12 — Malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, left bronchus or lung, C34.2 — Malignant neoplasm of middle lobe, bronchus or lung, C34.30 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.31 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, right bronchus or lung, C34.32 — Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe, left bronchus or lung, C34.80 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of unspecified bronchus and lung, C34.81 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of right bronchus and lung, C34.82 — Malignant neoplasm of overlapping sites of left bronchus and lung, C34.90 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of unspecified bronchus or lung, C34.91 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of right bronchus or lung, C34.92 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of left bronchus or lung, C38.4 — Malignant neoplasm of pleura, C39.0 — Malignant neoplasm of upper respiratory tract, part unspecified, C39.9 — Malignant neoplasm of lower respiratory tract, part unspecified, D02.1 — Carcinoma in situ of trachea, +5 more

Lab tests where this diagnosis supports Medicare coverage (NCD)

Medicare's National Coverage Determination (NCD) program lists this diagnosis as medical justification for these lab tests.

CEA Test, Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test, Iron Panel

Contextual Map

Every relationship of C33 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run C33 with these 7 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Excludes1

  • C45 — Mesothelioma[Excludes1]: “mesothelioma (C45.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026

Use Additional Code

Same site

Referenced by Same-site neoplasm codes

Referenced by Screening & history codes MedCoder-derived

Clinical classification (CCSR)

Risk adjustment (CMS-HCC)

  • HCC 20 — Lung and Other Severe Cancers [CMS-HCC]: “Lung and Other Severe Cancers — supersedes HCC 21 (Lymphoma and Other Cancers), HCC 22 (Bladder, Colorectal, and Other Cancers), HCC 23 (Prostate, Breast, and Other Cancers and Tumors)”— CMS-HCC V28 · 2026

MS-DRG Grouper

  • CC — Complication or Comorbidity [MS-DRG severity]: “As a secondary diagnosis this code can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier (CC).”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix C) · FY2027
  • DRG 180 — RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITH MCC[MS-DRG]: “RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITH MCC (MDC 04)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027
  • DRG 181 — RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITH CC[MS-DRG]: “RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITH CC (MDC 04)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027
  • DRG 182 — RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITHOUT CC/MCC[MS-DRG]: “RESPIRATORY NEOPLASMS WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 04)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027

MDC crossing

  • MDC 04 — Diseases and Disorders of the Respiratory System[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Respiratory System — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 4,000 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027

Neoplasm sites

  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, cartilage NEC (articular) (joint), trachea — Neoplasm, neoplastic, cartilage NEC (articular) (joint), trachea — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, cartilage NEC (articular) (joint), trachea (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, trachea (cartilage) (mucosa) — Neoplasm, neoplastic, trachea (cartilage) (mucosa) — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, trachea (cartilage) (mucosa) (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2026
  • Neoplasm, neoplastic, windpipe — Neoplasm, neoplastic, windpipe — Malignant, Primary [Neoplasm table]: “Neoplasm, neoplastic, windpipe (Malignant, Primary)”— CMS Table of Neoplasms · icd10cm-fy2026

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Inpatient payment groups Official source data
CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v44 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Risk adjustment Official source data
2026 Mid-Year Final ICD-10 Mappings + Model Software (cms.gov/files/zip/2026-midyear-final-icd-10-mappings.zip, 2026-midyear-final-model-software.zip) — CMS-HCC V28, PY2026 mid-year final release Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "C33 — Malignant neoplasm of trachea." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/c33-malignant-neoplasm-of-trachea

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Malignant neoplasm of trachea

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.