SEER Inquiry System - Search

Code Lupron given for breast cancer in the "Other" treatment field using code 6 (other-unproven). Lupron is still not an approved hormone treatment for breast cancer and should not be coded in the hormone field.

Code the trichloroacetic acid treatment of reportable AIN III in the "Other Therapy" field. Assign code 1 [Other].

Yes, those modalities should be counted as part of first course of cancer-directed treatment if the patient continues with the planned first course. For example, if patient has the originally planned type of surgery, radiation, or drug protocol, then code the given treatment as first course.

Caution: It is not a change in the treatment plan if the drugs are changed but the action of the drugs remains the same. This is still first course. However, if the treatment is changed from a chemotherapy drug to a hormonal drug following the discovery of the mets, do not code the hormonal therapy as first course.

Assign code 17 for irreversible electroporation ablation of the prostate when there is no tissue submitted to pathology for a 2021 or 2022 case.

Assign code A170 for a 2023 case.

There is no available code that fits this situation. We recommend assigning code 6 (Surgery of the primary site was not performed; it was recommended by the patient’s physician, but was not performed as part of the first course of therapy. No reason was noted in patient record.) and documenting the situation in a text field.

Assign code 3 (Progressive disease (PD)(per managing/treating physician statement) for Neoadjuvant Treatment--Clinical Response and code 7 (Neoadjuvant therapy completed and planned surgical resection not performed) for Neoadjuvant Treatment--Treatment Effect. These are the best choices under the circumstances. Use text fields to record the details.

Armour thyroid is listed under "Thyroid" in SEER*Rx and in Appendix C Thyroid Coding Guidelines of the 2026 SEER Program Coding and Staging Manual. Code natural thyroid products as hormonal therapy in papillary, follicular, or oncocytic thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid histology must be known as coding depends on histology. Do not code if it is medullary or anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. If histology is unknown, assign Hormone Therapy as code 99.

In papillary, follicular, and oncocytic carcinoma, natural or synthetic thyroid hormone products have a dual role:

1. Suppression of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH): This is cancer directed therapy since the tumor cells of the above mentioned morphologies express TSH receptor. TSH is a trophic hormone that can promote tumor growth.

2. Hormonal replacement therapy to treat post-surgical or post-radiation hypothyroidism. C-cells in medullary carcinoma do not express TSH receptor, thus, TSH suppression would not be indicated. However, replacement hormonal therapy with synthetic or natural thyroid hormones post surgery is given to treat the post-surgical hypothyroidism. In operable thyroid anaplastic carcinoma, the goal of levothyroxine therapy is hormone replacement.

The Thyroid Coding Guidelines are being updated to include oncocytic thyroid cancer in the 2027 release of the SEER Manual.

According to a consensus answer of the technical advisory group, a small group of representatives from each standard setter that meets periodically, microwave tumor ablation should be coded as surgery.  For liver, assign code 16 (Heat-Radio-Frequency ablation (RFA); for kidney, assign code 15 (Thermal ablation).

Code an allogenic stem cell transplant as 20 (Stem cell harvest (stem cell transplant) and infusion) in Hematologic Transplant and Endocrine Procedures in the 2016 SEER Manual.