C51.2: Malignant neoplasm: Clitoris

The tissue in the body is made up of cells. With cancer, the cells multiply uncontrollably, which leads to a malignant neoplasm (abnormal growth of tissue) developing. The cancer cells can destroy the healthy tissue and spread throughout the body.

The external genitals include the labia, clitoris and the skin around the vagina. You have cancer of the clitoris or the surrounding skin. The visible part of the clitoris is the glans. It is located above the opening of the urethra, at the front end of the labia. The clitoris has many sensitive nerve endings and a lot of erectile tissue. The erectile tissue is located beneath the skin of the labia and surrounds the urethra and the vagina. The clitoris is involved in producing the sexual climax.

Not every cancer is the same. There are cancers that develop quickly. You may then quickly feel seriously ill. But there are also cancers that progress slowly. You may then feel generally unwell or weak, or even have no symptoms at all to start with. This cancer can change the skin on the external genitals. The skin may be itchy and red. You can have very inflamed or open wounds on the external genitals. The skin can also appear very dark.

Please note: This ICD code may also derive from the ICD-O system. If this is the case, there are usually additional letters and numbers in addition to the code. It starts with the letter M, followed by 4 digits and then a slash. There is another digit after the slash.

If it is an ICD-O code, then this does not describe a malignant cancer in all cases. The last digit after the slash gives you more detailed information about this: