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C49.A ICD-10-CM Code: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

Tabular directives
10 inclusion terms · 5 Excludes1 · 7 Excludes2

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for C49.A in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025

Notes without a marker are published on C49.A 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 blood vessel
  • malignant neoplasm of bursa
  • malignant neoplasm of cartilage
  • malignant neoplasm of fascia
  • malignant neoplasm of fat
  • malignant neoplasm of ligament, except uterine
  • malignant neoplasm of lymphatic vessel
  • malignant neoplasm of muscle
  • malignant neoplasm of synovia
  • malignant neoplasm of tendon (sheath)

Source: inherited from C49

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 C49

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Source: inherited from C49

Coder workflow for C49.A

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

Before you code C49.A

  1. C49.A 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).

    ReviewC49.A0, C49.A1, C49.A2, C49.A3, C49.A4, C49.A5, C49.A9

    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 →

  3. Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with C49.A. 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 one of the more specific codes beneath C49.A?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → C49.A cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewC49.A0, C49.A1, C49.A2, C49.A3, C49.A4, C49.A5, C49.A9

  2. Does the documentation support a condition named in C49.A’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.

    ReviewC32.3, C30.0, C50

Consider C49.A. Then 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.
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 C49.A(5 notes)

    Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with C49.A: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.

    CompareC32.3, C30.0, C50

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

  • Excludes2 — not part of C49.A(7 notes)

    Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in C49.A. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.

    CompareC46.1, C38.0, C47, C48.2, C48.0, C57.3

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

Coding decision scenarios

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

Documentation: Both the condition C49.A 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).

ReviewC32.3, C30.0, C50

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

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (C49.A). 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 structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name C49.A 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 3 Excludes1 notes: C40 — Malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of limbs (via C49.-), C40-C41 — Malignant neoplasms of bone and articular cartilage (C40-C41) (via C49.-), C41 — Malignant neoplasm of bone and articular cartilage of other and unspecified sites (via C49.-).

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

Referenced by 13 Excludes2 notes: C15 — Malignant neoplasm of esophagus, C15-C26 — Malignant neoplasms of digestive organs (C15-C26), C16 — Malignant neoplasm of stomach, C17 — Malignant neoplasm of small intestine, C18 — Malignant neoplasm of colon, C19 — Malignant neoplasm of rectosigmoid junction, C20 — Malignant neoplasm of rectum, C21 — Malignant neoplasm of anus and anal canal, C22 — Malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts, C23 — Malignant neoplasm of gallbladder, C24 — Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of biliary tract, C25 — Malignant neoplasm of pancreas, C26 — Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined digestive organs.

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

Referenced by 1 Code First instruction: M63 — Disorders of muscle in diseases classified elsewhere (via C49.-).

Each of these codes carries a Code First note naming this condition — when that code is reported, THIS code is sequenced first, ahead of it.

Related Codes

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Tumor”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

A52.17 — General paresis (syphilitic, brain), C18.1 — Malignant neoplasm of appendix (mucocarcinoid, unspecified site), C22.4 — Other sarcomas of liver (mesodermal, mixed, liver), C22.7 — Other specified carcinomas of liver (embryonal, liver), C24.0 — Malignant neoplasm of extrahepatic bile duct (Klatskin's), C25.4 — Malignant neoplasm of endocrine pancreas (G cell, malignant, pancreas), C30.0 — Malignant neoplasm of nasal cavity (neurogenic olfactory), C41.0 — Malignant neoplasm of bones of skull and face (odontogenic, malignant, upper jaw), C41.1 — Malignant neoplasm of mandible (odontogenic, malignant), C54.9 — Malignant neoplasm of corpus uteri, unspecified (Müllerian, mixed, unspecified site), C56 — Malignant neoplasm of ovary (Brenner, malignant), C56.9 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified ovary (yolk sac, unspecified site, female), C62.90 — Malignant neoplasm of unspecified testis, unspecified whether descended or undescended (yolk sac, unspecified site, male), C64 — Malignant neoplasm of kidney, except renal pelvis (Wilms'), C71.9 — Malignant neoplasm of brain, unspecified (neuroectodermal, primitive, unspecified site), C73 — Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland (Hurthle cell, malignant), C74.0 — Malignant neoplasm of cortex of adrenal gland (adrenal, cortical, malignant), C75.4 — Malignant neoplasm of carotid body (carotid body, malignant), C75.5 — Malignant neoplasm of aortic body and other paraganglia (aortic body, malignant), C79.6 — Secondary malignant neoplasm of ovary (Krukenberg's), +90 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of C49.A 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 C49.A with these 12 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Referenced by Excludes2 notes (13)

Referenced by Code First instructions

Nearest codes (23)

Change history

Common coding questions

Can C49.A be billed directly?

No. C49.A (Gastrointestinal stromal tumor) 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 FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 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 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. "C49.A — Gastrointestinal stromal tumor." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/c49.a-gastrointestinal-stromal-tumor

Change history

  • FY2017 — October 1, 2016
    Added to the code set
    Gastrointestinal stromal tumor
    FY2017 changes

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to C49.A in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the C49 family