ICD Code for Prostate Cancer
The ICD-10 code for prostate cancer is C61, which replaced the ICD-9 code 185. 1, 2, 3
Code Specifications
ICD-10 code C61 is the current standard diagnostic code for malignant neoplasm of the prostate used in all healthcare settings, billing, and cancer registries 1, 2
ICD-9 code 185 was the previous classification system code for prostate cancer, now obsolete but still referenced in historical medical records and older databases 1, 2
Clinical Application Context
This code applies to all histologically confirmed adenocarcinomas of the prostate regardless of stage, grade, or treatment status 1, 3
The C61 code is used for initial diagnosis, ongoing treatment documentation, surveillance visits, and cancer registry reporting 1, 2
Population-based cancer registries and national health insurance databases utilize ICD-10 C61 to identify prostate cancer patients for epidemiological studies, treatment pattern analysis, and outcomes research 1, 3
Important Coding Considerations
The C61 code alone does not capture metastatic status—additional codes are required to specify metastatic disease (such as C79.51 for bone metastases) 2
ICD codes have significant limitations for research purposes: billing code-based identification of metastatic prostate cancer has only 73% sensitivity and 86% specificity compared to detailed chart review, and date of metastases detection using ICD codes is accurate within one week in only 17% of cases 1
For clinical documentation requiring precise staging information, supplement the C61 code with TNM staging codes and Gleason score documentation 4