2025 ICD-10-CM code C03.1
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Malignant neoplasms of lip, oral cavity and pharynx - Malignant neoplasm of lower gum 2: Neoplasms Feed
Cancerous growth on the lower gum.
Medical necessity for treatment is established by the confirmed diagnosis of malignancy.Further procedures, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, are justified based on staging and the patient's overall health status.
Clinicians diagnose and manage malignant neoplasms of the lower gum. This includes taking patient history, conducting a physical exam of the mouth, throat, and neck, performing biopsies (including fine needle aspiration), ordering imaging studies (X-rays, CT scans, MRI, PET scans), and determining appropriate treatment strategies, which may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or targeted therapy.
In simple words: This code refers to cancer of the lower gum. It's often seen in people with poor oral hygiene, who use tobacco, drink heavily, or have had HPV or radiation exposure.Symptoms can include sores that don't heal, a lump in the gum, swollen lymph nodes, bad breath, loose teeth, pain or numbness in the jaw, and trouble swallowing. Doctors diagnose it with an exam and biopsy, and may use scans like X-rays, CT, MRI, and PET. Treatments include surgery, chemo, radiation, or targeted therapy.
Malignant neoplasm of lower gum refers to a cancerous mass that can spread to other tissues. It is commonly found in patients with poor oral hygiene, tobacco use (smoking, snuff), alcohol abuse, previous HPV exposure, or radiation exposure. Symptoms include non-healing ulcer, gum mass, enlarged lymph nodes, bad breath, loose teeth, jaw numbness/pain, sore throat, and difficulty chewing/swallowing. Diagnosis involves physical examination, biopsy, imaging (X-ray, CT, MRI, PET). Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or targeted therapy.
Example 1: A 60-year-old male with a history of smoking presents with a non-healing ulcer on his lower gum. Biopsy confirms squamous cell carcinoma, coded as C03.1., A 45-year-old female with HPV infection develops a mass on her lower gum. Following investigation and biopsy, a diagnosis of malignant neoplasm of the lower gum is confirmed, hence C03.1 is used., A 70-year-old with a history of alcohol abuse experiences persistent lower gum pain and tooth loosening.A biopsy reveals a malignant neoplasm, and C03.1 is assigned.
Documentation should include details of the lesion (size, location, appearance), diagnostic methods and results (biopsy, imaging), and treatment plan. Information on risk factors (tobacco, alcohol, HPV) should also be noted.
- Specialties:Oral surgery, Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Oncology, Dentistry
- Place of Service:Office, Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center