ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue: Group Overview

The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) code group C01 includes malignant neoplasms arising at the base of the tongue, covering primary cancers of the posterior tongue and adjacent oropharyngeal tissue. These ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes are used to document tumor location, extent, and related clinical findings such as local invasion or metastasis, capturing disease severity and organ involvement. Accurate coding within the ICD-10-CM C01 group supports proper claim adjudication, complete clinical documentation, and appropriate reimbursement.

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ICD-10-CM C01: Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue Overview

The diagnoses in the ICD-10-CM C01 group represent malignant neoplasms originating in the base of the tongue, part of the oropharynx. These codes target cancers of the posterior tongue and related structures within the head and neck region. Accurate coding is important for clinical communication, cancer registry reporting, and reimbursement linkage to documented severity and treatment.

When to Use

Assign a code from this group when clinical documentation specifies a malignant neoplasm of the base of the tongue as the diagnosis. Use these codes to reflect documented tumor site and related clinical details such as local invasion or documented metastasis.

ICD-10-CM Codes

1 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
C01	Malignant neoplasm of base of tongue

DRG Codes

6 rows

DRG Code	Description
011	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with MCC
012	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with CC
013	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy without CC/MCC
146	Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Malignancy with MCC
147	Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Malignancy with CC
148	Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Malignancy without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult patient in their 60s presents to the otolaryngology clinic with a several-month history of a firm, non-tender mass at the base of the tongue, progressive dysphagia for solids, odynophagia, and a 20-pound weight loss; flexible laryngoscopy reveals an exophytic ulcerated lesion at the posterior lateral aspect of the tongue base and biopsy confirms invasive squamous cell carcinoma, so a malignant neoplasm of the base of tongue diagnosis is assigned. Typical codes: C01.
A middle-aged patient is seen urgently in the emergency department for acute airway compromise with stridor and drooling after rapid enlargement of a known tongue base mass; imaging and bedside biopsy previously established malignancy, and the encounter documents acute tumor-related obstruction requiring airway stabilization and planning for oncologic intervention, therefore the base of tongue cancer diagnosis is recorded. Typical codes: C01.
A patient undergoing routine oncology follow-up after chemoradiation for an oropharyngeal primary now has persistent localized pain, mucosal ulceration, and firm induration at the site of the original tongue base tumor; surveillance examination and imaging indicate residual/recurrent malignant disease at the base of the tongue, prompting assignment of the malignant neoplasm of the base of tongue diagnosis for ongoing management and staging. Typical codes: C01.

Related Codes

C00-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-LIP

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Lip: Group Overview

C02-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-TONGUE

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Other And Unspecified Parts Of Tongue: Group Overview

C03-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-GUM

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Gum: Group Overview

C04-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-FLOOR-OF-MOUTH

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Floor Of Mouth: Group Overview

C05-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-PALATE

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Palate: Group Overview

C06-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-MOUTH

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Other And Unspecified Parts Of Mouth: Group Overview

C07-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-PAROTID-GLAND

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Parotid Gland: Group Overview

C08-MALIGNANT-SALIVARY-GLAND-NEOPLASMS

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Other And Unspecified Major Salivary Glands: Group Overview

C09-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-TONSIL

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Tonsil: Group Overview

C10-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-OROPHARYNX

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Oropharynx: Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 14

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

1 rows

ICD-10-CM Code	Description
C01	Malignant neoplasm of base of tongue

DRG Codes

6 rows

DRG Code	Description
011	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with MCC
012	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy with CC
013	Tracheostomy for Face, Mouth and Neck Diagnoses or Laryngectomy without CC/MCC
146	Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Malignancy with MCC
147	Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Malignancy with CC
148	Ear, Nose, Mouth and Throat Malignancy without CC/MCC

Typical Clinical Scenarios

An adult patient in their 60s presents to the otolaryngology clinic with a several-month history of a firm, non-tender mass at the base of the tongue, progressive dysphagia for solids, odynophagia, and a 20-pound weight loss; flexible laryngoscopy reveals an exophytic ulcerated lesion at the posterior lateral aspect of the tongue base and biopsy confirms invasive squamous cell carcinoma, so a malignant neoplasm of the base of tongue diagnosis is assigned. Typical codes: C01.
A middle-aged patient is seen urgently in the emergency department for acute airway compromise with stridor and drooling after rapid enlargement of a known tongue base mass; imaging and bedside biopsy previously established malignancy, and the encounter documents acute tumor-related obstruction requiring airway stabilization and planning for oncologic intervention, therefore the base of tongue cancer diagnosis is recorded. Typical codes: C01.
A patient undergoing routine oncology follow-up after chemoradiation for an oropharyngeal primary now has persistent localized pain, mucosal ulceration, and firm induration at the site of the original tongue base tumor; surveillance examination and imaging indicate residual/recurrent malignant disease at the base of the tongue, prompting assignment of the malignant neoplasm of the base of tongue diagnosis for ongoing management and staging. Typical codes: C01.

Related Codes

C00-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-LIP

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Lip: Group Overview

C02-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-TONGUE

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Other And Unspecified Parts Of Tongue: Group Overview

C03-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-GUM

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Gum: Group Overview

C04-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-FLOOR-OF-MOUTH

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Floor Of Mouth: Group Overview

C05-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-PALATE

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Palate: Group Overview

C06-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-MOUTH

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Other And Unspecified Parts Of Mouth: Group Overview

C07-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-PAROTID-GLAND

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Parotid Gland: Group Overview

C08-MALIGNANT-SALIVARY-GLAND-NEOPLASMS

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Other And Unspecified Major Salivary Glands: Group Overview

C09-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-TONSIL

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Tonsil: Group Overview

C10-MALIGNANT-NEOPLASM-OF-OROPHARYNX

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Oropharynx: Group Overview

Showing 1–10 of 14

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM C01: Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue Overview

ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue: Group Overview

Sign up for ICD-10-CM Code For Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue: Group Overview policy alerts

ICD-10-CM C01: Malignant Neoplasm Of Base Of Tongue Overview

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM code represents malignant neoplasm of the base of the tongue?

What clinical information does the `C01` code capture for billing and documentation?

How does accurate use of `C01` affect reimbursement processes?

Which DRG groups are related to diagnoses coded as `C01`?

For what purposes beyond billing is the `C01` code used in clinical settings?

References

When to Use

ICD-10-CM Codes

DRG Codes

Typical Clinical Scenarios

Related Codes

Which ICD-10-CM code represents malignant neoplasm of the base of the tongue?

What clinical information does the `C01` code capture for billing and documentation?

How does accurate use of `C01` affect reimbursement processes?

Which DRG groups are related to diagnoses coded as `C01`?

For what purposes beyond billing is the `C01` code used in clinical settings?

References