Malignant neoplasm of trachea
In Malignant neoplasms of respiratory and intrathoracic organs (C30-C39), chapter 2: Neoplasms
- C33 is billable and valid on claims for FY 2027. If the record has more detail, check the other codes under C30-C39 below.
- As a secondary diagnosis it is a CC (complication or comorbidity), which can raise the MS-DRG payment. It doesn't count when the principal diagnosis is one of 46 closely related codes.
- Counts toward HCC 20 (Lung and Other Severe Cancers) in the Medicare Advantage risk model (CMS-HCC V28).
- AHRQ's Chronic Condition Indicator classes it as chronic: expected to last 12 months or longer and to limit daily life or need ongoing care.
- 97 US deaths in 2024 had an underlying cause in category C33, per the National Vital Statistics System on CDC WONDER. Death records use WHO ICD-10, so the count is for the whole category.
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Instructional notes
Use additional code: add a second code for this, listed after this one
Also applies, from Malignant neoplasms of respiratory and intrathoracic organs (C30-C39)
These notes sit on C30-C39 and apply to every code under it, including C33.
Includes: conditions that are coded here
- malignant neoplasm of middle ear
Excludes1: not coded here, use a different code
- mesothelioma (C45.-)
Official coding guidelines
From the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027 (CMS and NCHS). Links open the PDF at the right page.
Rules for coding benign and malignant neoplasms: using the Neoplasm Table, sequencing primary and secondary sites, treatment encounters, complications, and current cancer versus personal history.
- Admission/Encounter for treatment of primary site (page 33)
- Admission/Encounter for treatment of secondary site (page 33)
- Coding and sequencing of complications (page 34)
- Primary malignancy previously excised (page 34)
- Admissions/Encounters involving antineoplastic chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation therapy (page 35)
- Admission/encounter to determine extent of malignancy (page 36)
- Symptoms, signs, and abnormal findings listed in Chapter 18 associated with neoplasms (page 36)
- Admission/encounter for pain control/management (page 36)
Other codes under C30-C39
Malignant neoplasms of respiratory and intrathoracic organs (C30-C39)
- C30Malignant neoplasm of nasal cavity and middle ear
- C31Malignant neoplasm of accessory sinuses
- C32Malignant neoplasm of larynx
- C33Malignant neoplasm of trachea(this code)
- C34Malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung
- C37Malignant neoplasm of thymus
- C38Malignant neoplasm of heart, mediastinum and pleura
- C39Malignant neoplasm of other and ill-defined sites in the respiratory system and intrathoracic organs
C33 MS-DRGs
As the principal diagnosis, C33 groups to MS-DRG 180, 181, or 182 (v44.0). Which one applies depends on procedures performed, secondary diagnoses (CC/MCC), and the patient's age and discharge status.
Related conditions
Grouped by AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR), which sorts every diagnosis code into clinically meaningful categories.
C33 is in Respiratory cancers (NEO022, its default category), with 26 codes. Others in 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
Medicare coverage articles listing C33
These 40 Medicare billing and coding articles list C33 as a diagnosis that supports medical necessity for the services they cover. From the CMS Medicare Coverage Database; check your own contractor's article before billing.
- MolDX: Genetic Testing for Hereditary Thrombophilia (4 contractors)
- MolDX: Inivata™, InVisionFirst®, Liquid Biopsy for Patients with Lung Cancer (4 contractors)
- MolDX: Minimal Residual Disease Testing for Solid Tumor Cancers (4 contractors)
- MolDX: Next-Generation Sequencing for Solid Tumors (4 contractors)
- MolDX: Non-Next Generation Sequencing Targeted Molecular Panel Tests for Targeted Therapy in Cancer (4 contractors)
- MolDX: Plasma-Based Genomic Profiling in Solid Tumors (4 contractors)
- MolDX: Lab-Developed Tests for Inherited Cancer Syndromes in Patients with Cancer (3 contractors)
- MolDX: bioTheranostics Cancer TYPE ID® Update (3 contractors)
- Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (2 contractors)
- Lab: Flow Cytometry (2 contractors)
And 30 more.
Other codes that refer to C33
Notes on these codes point to C33.
About the condition
Plain-language background from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), not coding guidance.
Head and Neck Cancer
Head and neck cancer is the name for cancers that develop in the mouth, nose and sinuses, salivary glands, and throat and voice box (larynx). Most head and neck cancers are squamous cell cancers. They begin in the moist tissues that line the head and neck. The cancer cells may spread into deeper tissue as the cancer grows.
Read more about head and neck cancer on MedlinePlusTracheal Disorders
Your trachea, or windpipe, is one part of your airway system. Airways are pipes that carry oxygen-rich air to your lungs. They also carry carbon dioxide, a waste gas, out of your lungs.
Read more about tracheal disorders on MedlinePlusCode history
Valid since FY2016, when ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. No changes since.
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Legacy crosswalk from the CMS General Equivalence Mappings (last updated 2018).
- 162.0 Malignant neoplasm of trachea