SEER Inquiry System - Report
Produced: 11/22/2024 12:00 AM
Question 20041099
Inquiry Details
References:
#1: 2004 SEER Manual, 171
#2: 2004 SEER Manual, 195 & 199
Question:
First Course Treatment: If a patient makes a blanket refusal of all recommended therapy or refuses all treatment before any therapy was recommended, are only immunotherapy and hematologic/endocrine therapies to be coded as refused (code 87)? Or should all treatment modalities be coded as refused if a patient makes a blanket refusal? Or should none of the treatment modalities be coded as refused because we do not know what would have been recommended? See Discussion.
Discussion:
Coding instructions for immunotherapy and for hematologic/endocrine procedures state that Code 87 is to be assigned if either of the following circumstances apply: 1) If the patient made a blanket refusal of all recommended treatment. 2) If the patient refused all treatment before any was recommended. These instructions are not included for other treatment modalities.
Answer:
When the patient refuses treatment, the first course of therapy is no treatment. Code all treatments as refused.
Cancer Site Category:
N/A
Data Item Category:
First course treatment
Other Category:
N/A
Year:
2004