First course treatment/Other therapy--Skin: How is PUVA [psoralen (P) and long-wave ultraviolet radiation (UVA)] coded when used for skin primaries such as melanoma and mycosis fungoides?
Code PUVA as "Other treatment" with Code 1 - Other. We do not have a code specifically for ultraviolet radiation.
CS Site Specific Factor--Prostate: Given that the CS Manual instruction is to code the highest PSA value recorded in the medical record, can a PSA value obtained a year prior to admission be used to code the SSF 1 and SSF2 fields?
This answer was provided in the context of CSv1 coding guidelines. The response may not be used after your registry database has been converted to CSv2.
The PSA recorded in CS SSF 1 and 2 must be documented in the medical record. Record the highest PSA value prior to diagnostic biopsy or treatment. If the highest PSA value documented in the medical record is from the previous year, record it.
Primary site--Heme & Lymphoid Neoplasms: What is the primary site for a bone marrow biopsy positive for systemic mastocytosis that also involves the spleen and lymph nodes with associated leukocytosis, mild anemia and thrombocytopenia?
Per Rule PH30, one is to use the to determine the primary site and histology when rules PH1-PH29 do apply. Code the primary site to C421 [bone marrow] because that is the only site listed under the Primary Site section of the Heme DB.
Under the Abstractor Notes section in the Heme DB, it indicates that the bone marrow is always involved, and the white and red pulp of the spleen may be involved with systemic mastocytosis. This is how this patient presented; therefore, the bone marrow is the primary site. The spleen is secondarily involved because the spleen cleanses the blood and the neoplastic cells have infiltrated the red and white pulp of the spleen. The same is true for the lymph nodes. Although the lymph nodes are rarely involved, they may be involved when the patient has systemic mastocytosis.
SEER*Educate provides training on how to use the Heme Manual and DB. If you are unsure how to arrive at the answer in this SINQ question, refer to SEER*Educate to practice coding hematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasms. Review the step-by-step instructions provided for each case scenario to learn how to use the application and manual to arrive at the answer provided. https://educate.fhcrc.org/LandingPage.aspx.
Reportability/In situ--Prostate: Has there been a change in reportability for prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN III) (C619)? The 2018 SEER Manual notes: Collection stopped effective with cases diagnosed 01/01/2001 and later; however, on the casefinding list effective 10/01/2019, code D07.5, carcinoma in situ of prostate, is listed as reportable.
PIN III is not reportable in accordance with the 2018 SEER Manual; however, carcinoma in situ of the prostate is reportable as they represent different histology codes. The casefinding list is used to search for reportable cases and is not the same as a reportable list.
Behavior Code/EOD-Extension--Colon: Are extension codes 10 [Mucosa, NOS (incl. Intramucosal, NOS)] and 11 [Lamina propria] in situ, in accordance with AJCC stage for this site?
For cases diagnosed 1998-2003: EOD codes 10 and 11 are invasive. SEER, to be compatible with Summary Stage 77 and 2000, calls EOD extension codes 10 and 11 invasive because invasion of the lamina propria is invasion through the lamina propria/basement membrane and therefore invasive.
According to AJCC, the survivial rates for tumors that invade only the mucosa or lamina propria are similar to Tis tumors, so the AJCC classifies them as Tis.
First course treatment--Heme & Lymphoid Neoplasms: Why isn't darbepoietin coded as treatment for hematopoietic diseases?
Darbepoietin is a synthetic form of erythropoietin. It stimulates erythropoiesis (increases red blood cell levels) and is used to treat anemia, commonly associated with chronic renal failure and cancer chemotherapy.
Darbepoietin is a support medication; it does not treat cancer. It is used to treat anemia caused by cancer directed chemotherapy treatments. It is not indicated for patients with myeloid cancers; cancers that originate in the bone marrow like leukemia.
Darbopoietin is an ancillary drug and is not coded as treatment.
Diagnostic confirmation--Heme & Lymphoid Neoplasms: What is the diagnostic confirmation code for a death certificate only (DCO) diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia?
Always code diagnostic confirmation to 9 [Unknown whether or not microscopically confirmed; death certificate only] for DCO cases.
SEER*Educate provides training on how to use the Heme Manual and DB. If you are unsure how to arrive at the answer in this SINQ question, refer to SEER*Educate to practice coding hematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasms. Review the step-by-step instructions provided for each case scenario to learn how to use the application and manual to arrive at the answer provided. https://educate.fhcrc.org/LandingPage.aspx.
MP/H Rules--Urinary: How many primaries are abstracted when a patient has a May 2000 invasive papillary transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, a November 2004 invasive papillary transitional cell carcinoma of the right ureter and a May 2007 urothelial carcinoma in situ of both the left and right ureters?
For cases diagnosed 2007 or later:
Using the pre-2007 multiple primary rules, the PTCC of the bladder in 2000 and the invasive TCC of the right ureter in Nov. 2004 would have been abstracted as separate primaries.
Use the 2007 MP/H rules to evaluate the May 2007 diagnosis. Start with rule M3. Stop at rule M8. The May 2007 diagnosis is the same primary.
Rule M4 does not apply because of the 2000 bladder primary. A clarification will be added to M4 to stress that for the urinary rules, any urinary tumor up to the present point in time is counted when applying this rule.
Other Therapy/Immunotherapy--Hematopoietic, NOS: How should erythropoietin be coded for leukemia or other hematopoietic diseases?
Do not code Erythropoietin as treatment, it is used as an ancillary drug for leukemias or other hematopoietic diseases. Record information about erythropoietin in the text field.
EOD-Extension/SEER Summary Stage 2000--Kidney/Eye: What codes are used to represent these fields for simultaneous bilateral Wilms tumor or simultaneous bilateral retinoblastoma?
For cases diagnosed 1998-2003:
Code the EOD-Extension field to 85 [Metastasis] and the SEER Summary Stage 2000 field to 7 [Distant] for both types of tumor. Each kidney and each eye are staged separately in the AJCC, 6th ed., but for SEER we would abstract these diagnoses as one case and code the EOD and stage fields to distant to reflect the involvement of both eyes or both kidneys.