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C45 ICD-10-CM Code: Mesothelioma

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Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Category · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too, and is marked with where it comes from.

The tabular list publishes no instructional note for this code itself.

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 2: NeoplasmsC00-C96 Malignant neoplasmsC00-C75 Malignant neoplasms, stated or presumed to be primary (of specified sites), and certain specified histologies, except neuroendocrine, and of lymphoid, hematopoietic and related tissueC45-C49 Malignant neoplasms of mesothelial and soft tissue

Codes under C45 (5)

  • C45.0Mesothelioma of pleuraBillable
  • C45.1Mesothelioma of peritoneumBillable
  • C45.2Mesothelioma of pericardiumBillable
  • C45.7Mesothelioma of other sitesBillable
  • C45.9Mesothelioma, unspecifiedBillable

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Coder workflow for C45

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

Before you code C45

  1. C45 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewC45.0, C45.1, C45.2, C45.7, C45.9

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. 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 →

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath C45?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → C45 cannot be reported as written. Where the codes beneath it include an unspecified code, that code applies when the record goes no further; otherwise query for the missing detail.

    ReviewC45.0, C45.1, C45.2, C45.7, C45.9

Report the code beneath C45 that the documentation supports, not C45 itself. Then confirm that code is valid for the date of service on its own page.

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.
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).

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.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Mesothelioma is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (C45). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

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

Verify Before Coding

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-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name C45 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 10 Excludes1 notes: C30 — Malignant neoplasm of nasal cavity and middle ear, C30-C39 — Malignant neoplasms of respiratory and intrathoracic organs (C30-C39), C31 — Malignant neoplasm of accessory sinuses, C32 — Malignant neoplasm of larynx, C33 — Malignant neoplasm of trachea, C34 — Malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung, C37 — Malignant neoplasm of thymus, C38 — Malignant neoplasm of heart, mediastinum and pleura, C39 — Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites in the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs, C48 — Malignant neoplasm of retroperitoneum and peritoneum.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 1 Excludes2 note: C49 — Malignant neoplasm of other connective and soft tissue.

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Contextual Map

Every relationship of C45 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 C45 with these 9 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes (10)

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Nearest codes

Change history

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

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can C45 be billed directly?

No. C45 (Mesothelioma) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

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
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-derived 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 editorial 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.

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

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

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. "C45 — Mesothelioma." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/c45-mesothelioma

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Mesothelioma

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.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to C45 in its code family, with their registry titles.