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SEER Inquiry System - Report
Produced: 05/31/2026 5:45 AM
Question 20120055
Inquiry Details
References:
2011 SEER Manual. Appendix C
Question:
Surgery of Primary Site--Kidney, renal pelvis: How do you code a laparoscopic renal mass core biopsy followed by cryoablation of the tumor? See Discussion.
Discussion:
The note under the local tumor destruction codes states "No specimen sent to pathology from this surgical event 10-15." The patient had a pathologic specimen submitted from his core biopsy, but this was not a tumor excision or excisional biopsy [codes 20, 26-27]. Is the correct surgery code 13 [cryosurgery] because the tumor was only ablated and not excised, or surgery code 23 [any combination of 20 or 26-27 with cryosurgery] because a pathology specimen was submitted?
Answer:
Code for Surgery of Primary Site to 13 [Cryosurgery]. While the core biopsy provided a pathology specimen, it is not coded as surgery of the primary site.
Cancer Site Category:
Kidney, renal pelvis
Data Item Category:
Surgery of Primary Site
Other Category:
N/A
Year:
2012
