Liver cell carcinoma

This code represents hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer, originating from the hepatocytes. It is a malignant neoplasm characterized by uncontrolled growth of liver cells.

Use this code when documentation explicitly states a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. This diagnosis is typically confirmed through imaging (e.g., CT, MRI), biopsy, and/or elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in patients with underlying liver disease such as cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B/C.

• Do not confuse this with metastatic liver cancer, which would be coded as a secondary malignancy of the liver.
• Always sequence this code as the primary diagnosis when it is the reason for the encounter, unless another condition is specifically identified as the principal diagnosis.
• Look for documentation of the specific lobe affected (e.g., right lobe, left lobe) for more specific coding, if available, though this code is for unspecified lobe.