An official website of the United States government
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted. The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov. Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at OPM.gov.
MP/H/Histology--Thyroid: What is the histology code for primary site of thyroid cancer with the histology of papillary thyroid carcinoma, classical and oncocytic type?
Code the histology to 8342/3, thyroid oncocytic (oxyphillic) papillary carcinoma.
Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery/EOD Fields: When a patient has two simultaneously diagnosed primaries, and a regional lymph node dissection intended for one of the primaries removes nodes that are also regional for the other primary, is the information from the lymph node dissection coded for both primaries?
For cases diagnosed 1998-2003:
If the lymph nodes are negative, the status of nodes that are regional for both sites would be used to code the EOD and Site-Specific Surgery fields for both sites.
If any of the lymph nodes are positive use the histology from the lymph nodes to determine how the EOD and Site-Specific Surgery will be coded. For example: If prostate cancer is an incidental finding when a cystoprostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection are done to treat a bladder cancer, and all of the positive lymph nodes reflect the histology of the prostate primary (adenocarcinoma), code the nodes as positive for the prostate primary and negative for the bladder primary.
Reportability/Histology--Liver: Are primary hepatic neuroendocrine neoplasm and primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor (PHNET) reportable? What are the specific histology codes?
Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor (PHNET) is reportable as are other digestive system NETs. There is no specific histology code for PHNET. We suggest you assign 8240/3. Use text fields to document the details.
Unless you can obtain clarification, do not report primary hepatic neuroendocrine neoplasm with no further information. If this term is being used as a synonym for PHNET, document this in the registry's policies and procedures, and report these cases.
Multiple Primaries (Pre-2007)/Histology (Pre-2007)--Breast: For cases diagnosed in 2005, if a specimen contains an invasive 4.5 cm lobular carcinoma of the right breast and also has a tiny focus of intraepidermal tumors cells [Paget disease of nipple], how many cases should be abstracted and how should the histology field(s) be coded?
For tumors diagnosed prior to 2007:
There are two primaries in this example:
1. Invasive lobular carcinoma [8520/3]
2. In situ Paget disease of nipple [8540/2].
There is no combination code for lobular carcinoma and Paget disease.
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.
Multiple Primaries/Histology--Mycosis Fungoides/Cutaneous T cell Lymphoma: Physicians often use the terms cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and mycosis fungoides interchangeably and yet the SEER Single versus Subsequent Primaries of Lymphatic and Hematopoietic Diseases table indicates that these 2 diagnoses represent separate primaries. Do these cases represent one primary? If so, what histologic type should they be coded to?
For cases diagnosed prior to 1/1/2010:The patient does not have two different malignancies. Code the Histology field to 9700/3 [mycosis fungoides], the specific type of cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Mycosis fungoides is one of several types of cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Physicians often refer to mycosis fungoides by the "umbrella term" cutaneous T cell lymphoma.
The table indicates that the broad category of "T/NK-cell NHL" (which includes CTCL) and mycosis fungoides are presumably separate primaries because several entities are included in that broad category. In the specific case cited above, one entity (CTCL) within the broad category (T/NK-cell NHL) and mycosis fungoides are not separate primaries.
For cases diagnosed 2010 forward, 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.
2024 SEER Manual/Primary Site--Breast: Is Primary Site coded as C504 or C501 based on the Solid Tumor Rules and the SEER Manual Breast Coding Guidelines? The pathology report reads "Right Breast 10:00 1 cm from the nipple."
Codes C502-C505 take priority over code C501. The description for C501 in the Solid Tumor Rules has "Area extending 1 cm around areolar complex."
Assign Primary Site code C504 based on the location in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast, 10 o’clock, as opposed to code C501, around the areolar complex. The 2024 SEER Manual Breast Coding Guidelines advise that C502 - C505 are generally preferred over C501 when there is no other way to determine the subsite.
Update to Current Manual/2018 EOD Manual/EOD Primary Tumor--Bladder: According to the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC), a transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) cannot make a distinction between involvement of the superficial muscle-inner half (Stage T2a) and the deep muscle-outer half (Stage T2b). Is this same criteria applied to Extent of Disease (EOD)?
EOD follows AJCC criteria in this situation and we have confirmed with AJCC that Stage T2a (superficial muscle) and Stage T2b (deep muscle) cannot be assigned when only a TURB is done.
For EOD Primary Tumor, Bladder, codes 200, 250, 300, 350, can only be used when
Cystectomy is performed
Muscularis propria is involved, AND
Pathology report states superficial muscle (200, 250) or deep muscle (300, 350) is involved
If a TURB is done and there is mention of the muscularis propria invasion (superficial muscle or deep muscle), use EOD codes 370 or 400. If a TURB is done and the pathology report states superficial or deep muscle, ignore and coded as “invasion of muscularis propria, NOS” (EOD codes 370 or 400).
Instructions and code descriptions for EOD Primary Tumor have been updated to indicate this. These updated instructions and code descriptions will be available when SEER*RSA is updated for 2024, Version 3.1 (Sept/Oct 2023). These updates are included here for reference and can be applied for cases diagnosed 2018+.
MP/H Rules/Histology--Brain and CNS: What is the histology code for a tumor originating in the cerebellum and extending into the fourth venrticle described as a glioblastoma with primitive neuroectodermal tumor component (WHO Grade IV)?
The WHO Classification of CNS tumours lists glioblastoma with primitive neuroectodermal tumor component as a subtype of glioblastoma and assigns 9440/3. Also referred to as glioblastoma with a primitive neuronal component.
Primary Site--Breast: What subsite code should be used for a diagnosis of "inflammatory carcinoma"?
Code the Primary Site field to C50.9 [Breast, NOS] for a breast primary presenting with inflammatory cancer unless there is a palpable mass within the breast. If there is a palpable mass, code the primary site to the position of the mass.