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AetnaAll Plans · Coverage · Medical Policy · Oncology, Gastroenterology, Urology +7 moreMedium impact

Microwave Thermotherapy (CPB 0682, reviewed 2025-10-15)

Effective date
Not stated in the notice
Identified
Aug 17, 2026
Replaced. This version was replaced by Microwave Thermotherapy (CPB 0682, reviewed 2026-10-26) (published Oct 26, 2026).

Summary

Aetna considers microwave thermotherapy medically necessary for clinical stage T1 renal lesions, for medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer lesions less than 3 cm, and for hepatocellular carcinoma tumors less than or equal to 3 cm. Aetna considers microwave thermotherapy experimental, investigational or unproven for bladder cancer, bone cancer and limb salvage, breast cancer and breast cancer metastasis, cervical ectopy, chronic low back and neck pain, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, chronic prostatitis, cutaneous verrucae, dysmenorrhea, endometrial cancer, keratoconus, nasopharyngeal cancer, osteosarcoma, pancreatic cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and vulvar lichen sclerosus. Microwave thermotherapy enhanced with hybrid magnetic nanoparticles for liver cancer and microwave thermotherapy combined with TIPE2 for colon cancer are also experimental, investigational or unproven.

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What to do

Action · 5 steps
01Billing team: For T1 renal lesions, bill with a kidney malignancy diagnosis from C64.1 to C64.9.
02For medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer lesions less than 3 cm, use a diagnosis from C34.00 to C34.92.
03For hepatocellular carcinoma tumors less than or equal to 3 cm, use C22.0.
04The policy lists no specific CPT code for microwave thermotherapy.
05The experimental indications named in the policy are not covered as medically necessary under this policy, so do not bill microwave thermotherapy for them as covered.

Codes mentioned

C22.0C34.00C34.92C64.1C64.9

Original notice

Microwave Thermotherapy (CPB 0682, reviewed 2025-10-15)
aetna.com · Always check the source before changing claims.
View original ↗

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Related policy hubs

Aetna policiesOncologyGastroenterologyUrologyPulmonologyOB-GYNDermatologyPain ManagementRheumatologyOphthalmologyOrthopedicsCode C22.0Code C34.00Code C34.92Code C64.1Code C64.9

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