2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code C57

Specific Coding Applicable to Malignant neoplasm of other and unsp female genital organs

Non-specific codes like C57 require more digits to indicate the appropriate level of specificity. Consider using any of the following ICD-10-CM codes with a higher level of specificity when coding for malignant neoplasm of other and unsp female genital organs:

Patient Education

Cervical Cancer

What is cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is cancer that starts in the cells of the cervix. The cervix is part of the female reproductive system. It is the lower, narrow end of the uterus (womb), which opens into the vagina (birth canal).

Cervical cancer usually develops slowly. Before cervical cells become cancer, they start to look abnormal. These cells are called "precancers." If they aren't destroyed or removed, they may become cancer cells that grow out of control and spread to other parts of your body.

Screening tests for cervical cancer can help find abnormal cells so you can get treatment to prevent cervical cancer. These tests can also find cervical cancer early when it's usually easier to treat.

What causes cervical cancer?

Almost all cervical cancers are caused by a long-lasting infection with a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). There are many types of HPV. The types that cause cancer are called "high-risk HPV." High-risk HPV is very common. It can be passed from one person to another through close skin-to-skin touching, usually during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Most people who are infected have no symptoms and don't know they have it.

If you're infected with high-risk HPV, usually your immune system will get rid of it within a year or two. But if your immune system can't control the infection, it may last for many years. Over time, HPV can turn normal cervical cells into abnormal cells. Without treatment, these cells may keep changing until they become cervical cancer.

Who is more likely to develop cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is most common in people over age 30. If you have a high-risk HPV infection in your cervix, you're more likely to develop cervical cancer if you:

• Have a weakened immune system because you:
  • Have a disease that harms your immune system, such as HIV.
  • Take medicine to control your immune system, such as certain medicines to treat cancer or autoimmune diseases
• Smoke tobacco or breathe secondhand smoke.
• Use birth control pills or have given birth to many children.
• Have obesity.
• Were exposed to a medicine called DES (diethylstilbestrol) before you were born. Between 1940-1971, DES was sometimes prescribed during pregnancy to prevent miscarriages. DES was later linked to health problems, including cervical cancer.

What are the symptoms of cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer usually doesn't cause symptoms when it first starts to grow. But when it does cause symptoms, they may include:

• Vaginal bleeding that's not normal for you, such as bleeding after sex or between menstrual periods
• Vaginal discharge (fluid) that's watery and has a strong odor or contains blood
• Pelvic pain or pain during sex

If cervical cancer spreads to other parts of your body, symptoms may include:

• Unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge
• Pelvic pain or pain during sex
• Difficult or painful bowel movements (poops) or bleeding from the rectum when having a bowel movement
• Difficult or painful urination (peeing) or blood in your urine (pee)
• Dull backache
• Swollen legs
• Abdominal (belly) pain
• Fatigue

How is cervical cancer diagnosed?

If you have symptoms or had an abnormal result on a screening test for cervical cancer, your health care provider will do more tests to find out if you have cervical cancer. They will:

• Ask about your medical history and your family health history
• Do a pelvic exam
• Suggest tests to diagnose or rule out cervical cancer, including:
  • Colposcopy, a procedure using a device called a colposcope, which helps your provider examine your cervix for abnormal areas
  • Cervical biopsy, a procedure to remove a tissue sample from your cervix so that it can be examined under a microscope to look for signs of cancer. Most biopsies can be done in your provider's office

What are the treatments for cervical cancer?

Different treatments are available for cervical cancer. The best treatment for you depends on your health, how much cancer you have, whether it has spread, and which treatment you prefer. You may have more than one treatment, including:

• Surgery to remove the cancer.
• Radiation therapy, which uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. The therapy may use radiation from a machine, or a radioactive substance may be placed in your body near the cancer.
• Chemotherapy (chemo), which uses special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer. The medicine may be pills, or it may be given through a vein (by IV). Sometimes, both types of chemo are used.
• Targeted therapy, which uses special medicines to block the growth and spread of cancer cells.
• Immunotherapy, which helps your immune system fight cancer cells.

Can cervical cancer be prevented?

Almost all cervical cancer can be prevented by:

• HPV vaccination. HPV vaccines provide the most protection if you get them before you're exposed to HPV. So, it's best to get vaccinated before you become sexually active. Medical experts recommend vaccinating children between ages 9 and 12.
• Routine cervical cancer screening. Two types of screening tests may be part of your routine health checkup. Both tests use a sample of cervical cells that your provider collects with a swab:
  • A Pap smear checks for abnormal cells so they can be treated before they become cancer
  • An HPV test checks for high-risk HPV infections that can cause cancer.
• Getting the right follow-up treatment if a screening test finds abnormal cells and/or high-risk HPV.

You can lower your risk for cervical cancer by not smoking. Using condoms correctly during sex lowers your risk of getting an HPV infection, but doesn't prevent it completely. Condom use has been linked to fewer cases of cervical cancer. If you or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Ovarian Cancer

What is ovarian cancer?

Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells in the body grow out of control and form a tumor. Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor that forms in the tissues of an ovary. The ovaries are a pair of female reproductive glands that make eggs and female hormones.

What are the types of ovarian cancer?

There are a few different types of ovarian cancer. The most common type is epithelial cancer. It begins in the cells that cover the ovary.

There are also two related types of epithelial cancer that can spread to the ovaries:

• Fallopian tube cancer forms in the tissue lining a fallopian tube. The fallopian tubes are a pair of long, slender tubes on each side of the uterus. The uterus is the female reproductive organ where a fetus grows during pregnancy.
• Primary peritoneal cancer forms in the tissue lining the peritoneum. Your peritoneum is a tissue lining that covers the organs in the abdomen (belly).

These two cancers are like ovarian cancer, and they have the same treatments. So some medical experts also consider those two types as ovarian cancer.

Some other rarer types of ovarian cancer are malignant germ cell tumors and stromal tumors.

What causes ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer happens when there are changes (mutations) in the genetic material (DNA). Often, the exact cause of these genetic changes is unknown.

Most ovarian cancers are caused by genetic changes that happen during your lifetime. But sometimes these genetic changes are inherited, meaning that you are born with them. Ovarian cancer that is caused by inherited genetic changes is called hereditary ovarian cancer.

There are also certain genetic changes that can raise your risk of ovarian cancer, including changes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. These two changes also raise your risk of breast and other cancers.

Besides genetics, your lifestyle and the environment can affect your risk of ovarian cancer.

Who is more likely to develop ovarian cancer?

Certain people are more likely to develop ovarian cancer. They include those who:

• Have a family history of ovarian cancer in a mother, aunt, grandmother, or sister
• Have inherited changes in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes
• Have certain other genetic conditions, such as Lynch syndrome
• Have endometriosis
• Took hormone replacement therapy
• Are overweight or have obesity
• Are tall
• Are older, especially those who have gone through menopause
• Have never been pregnant

What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer may not cause early signs or symptoms. By the time you do have signs or symptoms, the cancer is often advanced.

The signs and symptoms may include:

• Pain, swelling, or a feeling of pressure in the abdomen (belly) or pelvis
• Sudden or frequent urge to urinate (pee)
• Trouble eating or feeling full
• A lump in the pelvic area
• Gastrointestinal problems, such as gas, bloating, or constipation

How is ovarian cancer diagnosed?

To find out if you have ovarian cancer, your health care provider:

• Will ask about your medical history, including your symptoms
• Will ask about your family health history, including relatives who have had ovarian cancer
• Will do a physical exam, including a pelvic exam
• Will likely do imaging tests
• May do blood tests such as a CA-125 blood test

Often the only way to know for sure that you have ovarian cancer is by having a biopsy of the tissue. A biopsy is done during surgery to remove the tumor.

What are the treatments for ovarian cancer?

Treatments for ovarian cancer may include:

• Surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy, which uses drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells with less harm to normal cells

Your provider may suggest that you have genetic testing to look for the gene changes that raise the risk for ovarian cancer. Knowing whether you have the gene change may help your provider decide on your treatment plan.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Uterine Cancer

What is uterine cancer?

Uterine cancer is a cancer that forms in tissues of the uterus, which is sometimes called the womb. The uterus is the place where a fetus grows during pregnancy.

There are two types of uterine cancer:

• Endometrial cancer is the most common type. This type of cancer begins in the cells lining the uterus, known as the endometrium.
• Uterine sarcoma is a rare, more aggressive cancer that is harder to treat. This type of cancer begins in muscle or other tissues in the uterus.

Who is more likely to develop uterine cancer?

Uterine cancer usually happens after menopause. The cause is unknown. However, some factors and conditions that change the balance of hormones in your body may increase your risk. These can include obesity or metabolic syndrome (a group of risk factors for certain health problems).

Other factors and conditions that may increase your risk for:

Endometrial cancer

• Taking estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause.
• Having type 2 diabetes.
• Starting menstruation at an early age or menopause at a later age.
• Having never been pregnant.
• Taking tamoxifen, a medicine used to prevent or treat breast cancer.
• Having polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Having a mother, sister, or daughter who has had endometrial cancer.
• Having certain genetic conditions, such as Lynch syndrome.
• Having endometrial hyperplasia (thickening of the uterine lining).

Uterine sarcoma

• Having had past treatment with radiation therapy to the pelvis.
• Taking tamoxifen, a medicine used to prevent or treat breast cancer.

What are the symptoms of uterine cancer?

The most common symptom of both endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma is abnormal vaginal bleeding. Both types of uterine cancer may also cause pelvic pain or pressure, unusual vaginal discharge, or an enlarged uterus or pelvic mass.

Less common symptoms may include urinating (peeing) often, having trouble urinating, or pain during sexual intercourse.

How is uterine cancer diagnosed?

If you have symptoms of uterine cancer, your health care provider may:

• Ask about your medical history and family health history.
• Do a pelvic exam.
• Order imaging tests.
• Suggest a biopsy or a minor procedure called dilation and curettage (D & C) to check the lining of your uterus.

What are the treatments for uterine cancer?

Treatment may depend on your health, how much cancer you have, and whether it has spread. The most common treatment is having a hysterectomy, which is surgery to remove the uterus. Sometimes the surgery also removes the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

You may have more than one type of treatment. Other treatments may include:

• Hormone therapy
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy

Can uterine cancer be prevented?

There is no sure way to prevent uterine cancer. But you can do things that may help lower your risk such as aiming for a healthy weight, getting regular physical activity, and talking to your provider about the benefits and risks of hormone therapy.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Ovarian Epithelial, Fallopian Tube, and Primary Peritoneal Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)

Learn about ovarian epithelial, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer risk factors, symptoms, tests to diagnose, factors affecting prognosis, staging, and treatment.
[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

What is Cervical Cancer?

Learn about cervical cancer risk factors, symptoms, tests for diagnosis, factors affecting prognosis, staging, and treatment.
[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

• FY 2026 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2025 through 9/30/2026
• FY 2025 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2024 through 9/30/2025
• FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
• FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
• FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
• FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
• FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
• FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
• FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
• FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
• FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.