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SEER Inquiry System - Report
Produced: 01/07/2026 8:57 AM
Question 20041065
Inquiry Details
References:
#1: SEER Program Code Man, 3rd Ed, 119. Jan 1998
#2: 2004 SEER Manual, 169
Question:
Date Therapy Initiated/First-Course of Cancer-Directed Therapy Fields/Summary Stage 2000--Prostate: How do you code these fields for a case that received preventative chemo before a definitive cancer diagnosis?
Discussion:
A patient has a "suspicious but not diagnostic" biopsy of the prostate in 09/2002. Doctor said it was not cancer and put the patient on a preventative chemo drug study (GTX-211). The patient returned for a repeat biopsy on 04/2003. Biopsy returned positive for adenocarcinoma. The patient had not been diagnosed when chemo was administered. Can the case be staged using the post-chemo information?
Answer:
Stage this case the same as all other cases. Use only the information subsequent to the date of diagnosis to code stage and treatment.
The diagnosis date in the example is 04/2003. Do not use information prior to 04/2003 to code stage or treatment. Do not code the preventative chemo as treatment.
Cancer Site Category:
Prostate
Data Item Category:
First course treatment
Other Category:
N/A
Year:
2004
