CPC*Search Tool Information

A: If oncology data specialists encounter a site-morphology combination that returns a CPC Validity Status of "unlikely" or "impossible," they can explore CPC*Search for similar terms that have different codes by tumor site and explore codes and terms by tumor site.

A: CPC*Search provides a convenient way to search tumor site-morphology combinations by morphology term or International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) ICD-O-3.2 code, tumor site or ICD-O-3 topography code, behavior, and/or whether the combination is biologically valid (can be coded), unlikely (can be coded after a manual override), or impossible (cannot be coded). Search results are displayed separately by year of diagnosis for cases diagnosed 2024 to 2026.

A: If you encounter conflicting information in these coding resources and CPC*Search, submit a question to the SEER Inquiry System (SINQ) or Ask A SEER Registrar.

The results are shown by diagnosis year with the most recent year (2026) selected by default. If a user wants to view the search results for 2024 or 2025 diagnosis years, they can click on the corresponding year. When a year is selected, it will turn green.

A: The first step is to confirm primary site. Once confirmed, review the medical record for alternative site-morphology combinations. If still unclear, consult the coding rules (e.g., Solid Tumor Manual or SEER Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Neoplasm Database). To determine if another code should be used for a morphology term at a given tumor site, oncology data specialists can review CPC*Search results for similar terms with different codes by tumor site. If still unclear, submit questions to the SEER Inquiry System (SINQ) or Ask A SEER Registrar. If the tumor is still determined to be an unlikely site-morphology combination, enter the associated codes with a manual override.

A: The first step is to confirm primary site. Once confirmed, review the medical record for alternative site-morphology combinations. If still unclear, consult the coding rules (e.g. Solid Tumor Manual or SEER Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Neoplasm Database) and/or the pathologist or treating clinician. To determine if another code should be used for a morphology term at a given tumor site, oncology data specialists can review CPC*Search results for similar terms with different codes by tumor site. If still unclear, submit questions to the SEER Inquiry System (SINQ) or Ask A SEER Registrar.

A: Report the impossible site-morphology combination to the SEER Inquiry System (SINQ) or Ask A SEER Registrar. The Cancer PathCHART team will review these combinations on a case-by-case basis to determine if the standards need to be changed. If it is confirmed that the impossible site-morphology combination should be valid or unlikely, hold the case until the next update to the NAACCR Edits Metafile, which will include the updated CPC Validity Status for the site-morphology combination in question.

A: For example, if an oncology data specialists enters primary site of “lingula” in term for primary site, a message indicating “No matching records found” would result. The ODS should use the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd Edition (ICD-O-3) manual to identify the preferred term “upper lobe lung,” as it is part of the upper lobe of the left lung or use the topography code “C34.1” to perform the search. The same logic would apply to a histology term that is not found in the search field.

A: Check the spelling of any terms entered. Typographical errors can cause no results or incorrect results to return. Refrain from using abbreviations and acronyms. For example, spell out “neuroendocrine tumor” instead of typing “NET,” spell out “gastrointestinal stromal tumor” instead of typing “GIST,” etc. If a hyphen is sometimes used in the histology term, try entering the term with and without the hyphen. An example is entering "non-mucinous" in the histology term and "lung" as the site instead of "nonmucinous" in the histology term and "lung" as the site. If entering the histology code instead of the term for search criteria, confirm that all four digits of a histology code are entered. Partial histology codes will return with no results.

A: Mistyping and coding the wrong International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd Edition (ICD-O-3) codes for a site-morphology combination with similar terms and different tumor sites can result in coding errors. CPC*Search is an efficient way to explore the Cancer PathCHART tumor site-morphology standards to confirm whether a given site-morphology code combination assigned to a cancer case is biologically valid, unlikely, or impossible.

A: WHO terms are based on terms in the 5th edition of World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumours book published in print. If a morphology term is included in this book for sites reviewed for implementation in the latest Cancer PathCHART ICD-O-3 Site Morphology Validation List (CPC SMVL), it will appear in search results for a given site-morphology combination. The term will only be available for site-morphology combinations at tumor sites that were reviewed for the updated standards implemented in 2024, 2025, or 2026 diagnosis years. For a list of tumor sites reviewed by implementation year for the latest CPC SMVL, see the “Sites Reviewed by Implementation Year” section located on the Cancer PathCHART Product Downloads page.

A: When researchers need to know which tumor types are biologically valid, they can search these standards to know which tumor site-morphology combinations could be included for a given organ site. Terms in the 5th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumours books are automatically biologically valid in CPC*Search.

A: If a site-morphology combination, that was deemed to be impossible when the organ site was reviewed, appears in the 5th edition World Health Organization Classification of Paediatric Tumours, then the CPC Validity Status for that site-morphology combination would have been changed to unlikely. The oncology data specialist should enter the combination with a manual override.