SEER Inquiry System - Question 20021026 Details

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SEER Inquiry System - Report

Produced: 07/04/2025 8:59 AM

Question 20021026

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Inquiry Details

References:

#1: SEER PCM, 3rd Ed, Rev 1, F-21. January 2003

#2: 2004 SEER Manual, C-439

Question:

Surgery of Primary Site--Skin: Should Mohs surgery be code to 27 [Excisional biopsy] or 31 [Shave biopsy followed by a gross excision of the lesion]? See discussion.

Discussion:

Under surgery coding in the 5/22/01 SEER Abstractor/Coder Workshop book, page 20, it states that Mohs surgery should be coded as an excisional biopsy. The ACoS I&R dated 6/6/2001 states that it should be coded to 31.

Answer:

For cases diagnosed 1/1/2003 and after: Code the Surgery of Primary Site field to 34 [Mohs surgery, NOS], 35 [Mohs with 1-cm margin or less] or 36 [Mohs with more than 1-cm margin].

History:

For cases diagnosed 1998-2002: Code the Surgery of Primary Site field to 31 [Shave biopsy followed by a gross excision of the lesion] for Mohs. SEER adopted the surgery code clarifications issue by the COC in 12/99.

Cancer Site Category:

Skin

Data Item Category:

Surgery of Primary Site

Other Category:

N/A

Year:

2002