SEER*RSA/Required data items--Melanoma: The site-specific data item, Ulceration, states it is required by "All" in SEER*RSA but in the NAACCR Data Dictionary table it states is it required by SEER, Commission on Cancer (CoC), and Canadian Cancer Registry (CCCR), not the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR). Does the definition of "All" in SEER*RSA not include NPCR? Also, please explain the difference between Required by: "All" and "Required by CCCR/Canada, COC, NPCR, SEER" (all listed out).
Use the NAACCR Data Dictionary Required Status Table or refer to standard setter requirements. Do not use SEER*RSA to determine which data items are required to be collected or transmitted. Though "All" in SEER*RSA generally refers to the standard setters including CoC, NPCR, CCCR, and SEER, some items in SEER*RSA need updating; this is planned for 2022.
Reportability/Multiple Primaries (Pre-2007)/Histology--Anus: How many primaries exist if an 11/7/03 anal lesion presents with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring features and extensive mucin production and the 1/9/04 wide excision has adenocarcinoma and Paget disease (intraepidermal adenocarcinoma) extends to skin margin?
For tumors diagnosed prior to 2007:
This is a single primary: the adenocarcinoma with the Paget representing intraepithelial extension of the process. Tumor cells can invade from their place in the epithelium into the underlying stroma either at the primary site, or at their extension site (skin).
For tumors diagnosed 2007 or later, refer to the MP/H rules. If there are still questions about how this type of tumor should be coded, submit a new question to SINQ and include the difficulties you are encountering in applying the MP/H rules.
First Course Treatment/Neoadjuvant Therapy--Melanoma: How are the three Neoadjuvant Therapy data items (Neoadjuvant Therapy, Neoadjuvant Therapy--Clinical Response, Neoadjuvant Therapy--Treatment Effect) coded when a patient is diagnosed with melanoma in the lymph nodes with no primary skin site identified? The physician gives immunotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy with planned and carried out surgical resection of involved lymph nodes following completion of immunotherapy. There is no "planned definitive surgical resection of the primary site" as no primary site was found,
Assign code 0 to each of the three Neoadjuvant Therapy data items in this situation.
We will add an example to the coding instructions for these data items in the next release of the manual.
Reportability--Carcinoid: Is a diagnosis of carcinoid heart disease, based solely on clinical information and no pathology, reportable?
Carcinoid heart disease is not reportable but this diagnosis indicates that the patient likely has a carcinoid tumor which may be reportable. Obtain further information.
Surgery of Primary Site/Scope Regional LN Surgery--Breast: How should these fields be coded when a sentinel lymph node dissection removes one-to-three axillary lymph nodes and a total/simple mastectomy is done?
Assign code 41 [Total (simple) mastectomy, NOS WITHOUT removal of uninvolved contralateral breast] for Surgery of Primary Site. Assign code 2 [Sentinel lymph node biopsy] for Scope of Regional Lymph Node surgery. Code 41 applies to a total/simple mastectomy with any number of sentinel lymph nodes removed -- as long as all of the nodes removed are designated as sentinel nodes.
Primary Site/Surgery of Other Site--Leukemia: If hairy cell leukemia is diagnosed at splenectomy, and 1 month later a bone marrow confirms the same diagnosis, is the primary site coded to spleen or bone marrow? If the site is bone marrow, is the splenectomy coded to 2 (regional) or 4 (distant) in the surgery field?
For cases diagnosed prior to 1/1/2010:Primary site:
Code the primary site to C421 [bone marrow] per primary site coding instructions for leukemia in the 2007 SEER manual, page 70.
Surgery of other site:
Since all surgical procedures for hematopoietic diseases are coded in the data item Surgery of Other Site, assign code 1 [Nonprimary surgical procedure performed].
For cases diagnosed 1/1/10 and later, refer to the Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Neoplasm Case Reportability and Coding Manual and the Hematopoietic Database (Hematopoietic DB) provided by SEER on its website to research your question. If those resources do not adequately address your issue, submit a new question to SINQ.
MP/H Rules/Multiple Primaries: Is this counted as one or two primaries?
Patient is diagnosed with SCC esophageal cancer. Work-up reveals a lung nodule. Lung FNA (cytology) is read by the pathologist as SCC, favor metastatic esophageal SCC. However, the managing physicians are treating the patient as two separate primaries.
If the patient is being managed and treated as a case of primary lung cancer, report the lung diagnosis as a separate primary.
MP/H Rules/Histology--Lung: Per SINQ 20110115, why is micropapillary adenocarcinoma of the lung coded to 8260 [papillary adenocarcinoma] rather than 8050 [papillary carcinoma]?
The histology codes for lung tumors are based on the World Health Organization Classification of Lung Tumors. Chart 1 in the MP/H Lung Equivalent Terms, Definitions, Charts, Tables and Illustrations (2007 MP/H Rules Manual) illustrates the WHO Classification of Lung Tumors.
Using Chart 1, note that papillary adenocarcinoma [8260] is located under the Adenocarcinoma (NOS) branch. The histology in question was stated to be "micropapillary adenocarcinoma" and not "papillary carcinoma." Papillary carcinoma, NOS [8050] is not actually located on the chart. However, papillary squamous cell carcinoma is listed under the Squamous Cell Carcinoma, NOS branch, histology code 8052.
Next, look up papillary carcinoma [8050] in the Morphology - Numerical listing section of the ICD-O-3. Papillary carcinoma, NOS is a Squamous Cell Neoplasm. (Refer also to SINQ 20091040.)
The key word used to determine the appropriate histology in this case is "adenocarcinoma." This is a papillary adenocarcinoma and not a papillary squamous neoplasm.
MP/H Rules/Histology--Breast: If the abstractor only has the CAP protocol information from a pathology report and it does not include a "final diagnosis" label, which fields of the protocol are used to determine the histology and whether there is carcinoma in situ present in the specimen?
For cases diagnosed 2007 or later, if the CAP protocol is used in lieu of a final diagnosis, use all of the information in the CAP protocol.