Report | Question ID | Question | Discussion | Answer | Year |
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20021171 | Date Therapy Initiated: How would you estimate the date treatment began for a patient who was treated elsewhere and seen only on an outpatient basis at the current facility? See discussion. | July 19th: Retromolar trigone primary was diagnosed. August 8th note states, "Pt is not a surgical candidate due to multiple medical co-morbidities." Sept 19th note states, "Per Tumor Board, pt has been undergoing radiation for her head and neck cancer." The exact starting date for radiation is not specified.
In the SEER Program Code Manual it states that "In the absence of an exact date of treatment, the date of admission for that hospitalization during which the first cancer directed therapy was begun is an acceptable entry." |
If possible, review the radiation treatment summary and outpatient records at the treating facility. If the date treatment began is not stated, look for the completion date and number of treatments, and calculate the first date of treatment.
If the date radiation started cannot be found or calculated, code the month as 09 for the example provided. The determination was made in August NOT to treat with surgery. We know that there was treatment in September. |
2002 |
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20210048 | Reportability--Anal Canal: Is a 2021 diagnosis of moderate squamous dysplasia (AIN II) of the anal canal reportable? See Discussion. |
We are aware that squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, grade II (e.g., AIN II), 8077/2 is reportable for 2021. However, because this is also called rather than high grade squamous dysplasia (8077/2), we are unsure about reportability. There is no known histology and behavior code for moderate squamous dysplasia, the classifications available are only low grade (8077/0) or high grade (8077/2). |
If possible, clarify with the pathologist/physician what is meant by "moderate squamous dysplasia (AIN II)." If no further information can be obtained, report this case based on the diagnosis of "AIN II." Squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, grade II is listed in ICD-O-3.2 as 8077/2 making it reportable for cases diagnosed in 2021. AIN is a type of squamous intraepithelial neoplasia. |
2021 |
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20041013 | Primary Site--Ovary/Peritoneum: Should this field be coded to ovary or peritoneum when the bulk of the tumor is in the peritoneum and there is only surface involvement of the ovary? | If it is not clear where the tumor originated, use the following criteria to distinguish ovarian primaries from peritoneal primaries. The primary site is probably ovarian, unless: --Ovaries have been previously removed --Ovaries are not involved (negative) --Ovaries have no area of involvement greater than 5mm. Descriptions such as "bulky mass," "omental caking" probably indicate an ovarian primary. Descriptions such as "seeding," "studding," "salting" probably indicate a peritoneal primary. |
2004 | |
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20140074 | Surgery of Primary Site--Brain and CNS: What procedure code would be used for NeuroBlate Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy? This procedure was used for a Glioblastoma of the brain. |
If a pathologic specimen is not taken during this procedure, code in the surgery field using code 10 (Local tumor destruction, NOS). If specimen is sent to pathology, code 90, surgery, NOS. We will request this procedure be included in future treatment field coding documentation.
Our research notes that this procedure, also known as LITT (Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy), is a surgical treatment. Lasers transmit heat to coagulate or destroy the brain tumors from the inside out. |
2014 | |
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20190092 | First course Treatment/Lymph Nodes: When a Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) biopsy ONLY is performed and SLNs are negative, are the SLNs included still counted in Regional Nodes (RNs) Examined and RNs Positive, or are the fields filled in: RLN Examined: 00 (No nodes examined) RLN Positive: 98 (No nodes examined) Date RLN Dissection: 00/00/0000 (No RLN dissection performed) or are the SLN included in the RLN Examined/Positive field but the Date RLN Dissection is 00/00/0000? See Discussion. |
According to the 2018 SEER Manual, Sentinel Lymph Nodes (SLNs) Examined and SLNs Positive are included in Regional Nodes (RNs) Examined and RNs Positive when both a sentinel node biopsy procedure and a subsequent dissection procedure are performed or a sentinel node biopsy procedure is performed during the same procedure as the regional node dissection. |
If a SLN biopsy is performed but no RLN dissection is performed, assign as follows. Date of Regional Lymph Node Dissection: Leave blank as this field records the date non-sentinel regional node dissection was performed. Date of Regional Lymph Node Dissection Flag: Assign code 11 (Not applicable: No proper value is applicable in this context (for example, no regional lymph node dissection was performed; autopsy only cases). Regional Nodes Examined: Indicate the number of SLNs examined as this is cumulative from all procedures that remove lymph nodes through the completion of surgeries in the first course of treatment. Regional Nodes Positive: Indicate the number of SLNs positive as this is cumulative from all procedures that remove lymph nodes through the completion of surgeries in the first course of treatment. |
2019 |
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20150008 | Reportability--Heme & Lymphoid Neoplasms: Is idiopathic hypereosinophilia reportable? Must the diagnosis include the word 'syndrome'? |
Idiopathic hypereosinophilia is not reportable.
Hypereosinophilic syndrome is a different entity and is a synonym for chronic eosinophilic leukemia. |
2015 | |
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20160029 | Radiation Therapy--Breast: Are iodine 125 (I-125) seed implants for breast cancer coded as brachytherapy or as a localization technique similar to wire localization? See Discussion. |
We are seeing many I-125 seed implants for breast cancer. Many of my associates are coding them as brachytherapy. I think they are the newest of the localization technique like wire localization but with greater accuracy. Most are done the same day as the surgery so brachytherapy does not make sense. Which is correct? |
I-125 seeds could be used for brachytherapy for breast cancer or as a localization technique for nonpalpable breast tumors. If the seeds were in place a short time and removed as part of a breast surgical procedure, they were likely used for tumor localization. Radioactive seed localization (RSL) is thought to be more precise than the wire implantation technique for localizing lesions. |
2016 |
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20081114 | Reportability--Brain and CNS: Is hygroma reportable? See Discussion. |
Benign brain guidelines indicate that named tumors that have been assigned an ICD-O-3 code are reportable. However, per I&R: "Most cystic hygromas (9173/0) are fetal malformations and occur in patients less than two years old. If this patient was an adult, they are primarily treated with surgery. Hygroma (used in a general sense) is a response to trauma (i.e., subdural hematoma) and as such, is not a "new growth" and would not be reportable either as a cyst or as a neoplasm. Unless the patient had some sort of operation, I'd hesitate to include the case as a reportable benign tumor." How is the cancer registrar to distinguish between reportable and non-reportable hygromas? Example: Brain MRI showed diffuse cerebral volume loss and incidental bilateral frontal subdural hygromas (histology code 9173/0). Reference: I&R 14825 |
Hygromas are not reportable. This instruction will be added to the next revision of the benign brain rules. According to an expert in the field, hygromas are not neoplastic. Hygromas are cystic dilations of a localized subarachnoid or subdural accumulation of clear fluid related to an excess accumulation of CSF, typically related to an old hemorrhage that somehow prevents reabsorption of CSF. |
2008 |
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20200083 | Reportability/Histology--Kidney: Is hybrid oncocytic chromophobe tumor reportable for cases diagnosed 2021 and later? If so, how is the histology coded? See Discussion. |
The ICD-O-3.2 Coding Table includes hybrid oncocytic chromophobe tumor as a related term for histology code 8317 (Renal cell carcinoma, chromophobe type). However, this related term is not discussed in the implementation guidelines as being a new term/reportable tumor. The Solid Tumor Rules do not indicate a hybrid oncocytic chromophobe tumor is reportable; however, if a registrar only looked at the ICD-O-3.2 Coding Table, it may seem as though this histology should be collected. The term hybrid oncocytic chromophobe tumor was not included in the Solid Tumor Rules as a subtype/variant of RCC, or as an equivalent term for chromophobe RCC. There is a SINQ (20180047) that states not to report renal hybrid oncocytic tumor, despite the fact these tumors exhibit mixed features of both oncocytoma and chromophobe RCC. For cases diagnosed 2021 and later, should the clarification in the SINQ apply? Or should the ICD-O-3.2 Coding Table be used which indicates this is a reportable diagnosis? If the standard setters decided not to implement use of hybrid oncocytic chromophobe tumor for 2021, can clarification be added to the Solid Tumor Rules or Implementation Guidelines? This question was prompted from preparing SEER*Educate coding exercises. We will use the answer as a reference in the rationales. |
Hybrid oncocytic chromophobe tumor is listed in ICD-O-3.2 as 8317/3 which indicates it is reportable if diagnosed in 2021 or later. For cases diagnosed 1/1/2021 and later, use ICD-O-3.2 for reportability. See page 16 of the NAACCR 2021 Implementation Guidelines. Between publication of ICD-O-3.2 and updates made to solid tumor histology tables, additional terms were added based on review by the IARC ICD-O committee. These changes were not made available in time to correct the tables. All related terms or synonyms may not be included in the histology tables and ICD-O-3.2 should be used in tandem with the solid tumor rules. |
2020 |
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20130220 | Reportability--Thyroid: Is a hyalinizing trabecular neoplasm of the thyroid reportable? See Discussion. | The pathology comment states: Hyalinizing trabecular neoplasm is considered by some to represent a variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma because of the similar nuclear cytology, immunoprofile and RET-oncogene rearrangements. | Hyalinizing trabecular neoplasm is not reportable.
Hyalinizing trabecular neoplasm, or hyalinizing trabecular tumor, is a synonym for hyalinizing trabecular adenoma [8336/0] in the ICD-O-3. The 2004 WHO classification states that "fine needle aspiration biopsy is often interpreted as papillary carcinoma because of the nuclear features in the tumor." |
2013 |