An official website of the United States government
Home
SEER Inquiry System - Report
Produced: 03/02/2026 8:12 AM
Question 20240058
Inquiry Details
References:
#1: 2024 SEER Manual, 136. SEER Summary Stage 2018
#2: 2018 Summary Stage. v3.1; Female Genital System-Ovary and Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma
Question:
Summary Stage 2018--Ovary: What is the summary stage for an ovarian primary in 2024, in which the ovary capsule was ruptured with surgical spill? See Discussion.
Discussion:
In this case, the surgeon ruptured the ovarian tumor to drain it prior to removal causing the surgical spill. Regional lymph nodes are negative and there is no metastasis. The capsule was then noted as ruptured on pathology.
Does it matter if the surgeon was the one who ruptured the capsule? Would the stage change if the surgeon intentionally ruptured the capsule to drain the tumor intraoperatively causing some surgical spill? The scenarios of an intentional and not intentional rupture are not specified in SEER Summary Stage 2018.
Answer:
Code SEER Summary Stage 2018 to Localized, Code 1. Per consult with AJCC and noted in the Primary Peritoneal Chapter in AJCC 8th edition, an intraoperative rupture is coded as a surgical spill.
A capsule rupture is when the capsule ruptures prior to the surgery (Summary Stage Regional, Code 2).
