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SEER Inquiry System - Report
Produced: 10/24/2025 8:42 AM
Question 20021197
Inquiry Details
References:
#1: SEER PCM, 3rd Ed, Rev 1, 127b. January 2003
#2: 2004 SEER Manual, 179
Question:
Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery--Breast: How should this field be coded when a mastectomy that removed 3 sentinel lymph nodes is later followed by an axillary lymph node dissection that removed 17 lymph nodes? Should all of the lymph node information be coded to this field, even though the Number of Regional Lymph Nodes Examined field will be coded to the number of lymph nodes from the most definitive surgery (17)?
Discussion:
Answer:
For cases diagnosed 1/1/2003 and after: Yes, all of the lymph node information should be coded to the Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery field using code 7 [Sentinel node biopsy and code 3, 4, or 5 at different times].
The Number of Regional Lymph Nodes Examined field no longer exists for this time frame.
History:
For cases diagnosed 1998-2002, code:
Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery 98-02 field to 3 [Combination of 1 and 2].
Surgery-Number of Regional Lymph Nodes Examined field to 17.
EOD-Number of Regional Nodes Examined field to 20.
Cancer Site Category:
Breast
Data Item Category:
Scope Regional LN Surgery
Other Category:
N/A
Year:
2002
