Radiation/Chemotherapy: How do we code radiation and chemotherapy when the only statement we have is that the patient is "referred to either an oncologist or a radiation therapist"?
For cases diagnosed 1/1/2003 and after: A referral does not mean that the radiation therapy or chemotherapy was actually recommended. These cases need follow-back to see if treatment was recommended and/or administered. Some registries code these cases as 8 [Radiation recommended, unknown if administered] or 88 [Chemotherapy recommended, unknown if it was administered] and routinely review all cases with 8 or 88 codes. Upon review, the codes are updated depending on the information found. If there is no information available, the code 8 or 88 is changed to 0 or 00 [None].
Radiation--Choroid: How do you code treatment involving a "radioactive iodine plaque" for choroidal melanomas?
Code the Radiation field to 2 [Radioactive implants]. Codes for radiation are based on HOW the radiation is delivered, rather than the particular type of radioactive material used.
Radioactive eye-plaques contain rice-sized iodine-125 or palladium-103 seeds which emit low energy photons. They are sewn or glued into the eye. The plaque remains for 5 to 7 days and is then removed.
Radiation Therapy: Would tomotherapy, described as targeted IMRT, be coded as external beam?
Code tomotherapy as 1 [Beam radiation].
Tomotherapy is external beam radiation therapy. It is a type of IMRT. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that utilizes computer-controlled x-ray accelerators to deliver radiation. Tomotherapy is a CT image guided IMRT.
Radiation Therapy: How is radiation coded when it is "recommended" but the patient dies before radiation is started? See Discussion.
Code 0 seems appropriate but then we would lose the fact that it had been recommended. All of the other modalities give an option for 'recommended but patient died prior to treatment.' Is there a reason this option is not given for radiation?
Code Radiation (Rx Summ--Radiation) to 0 [None; diagnosed at autopsy].
SEER does not collect the Reason For No Radiation field. However, those who abstract using software that captures this data item can identify these cases. Code 5 [radiation not administered because patient died] reflects this situation.
Radiation (Rx Summ-Radiation) is a SEER field. This field is derived from the data collected in Rad-Boost Rx Modality and Rad-Regional TX Modality. These fields do not include a choice for "radiation not given because the patient died prior to treatment." Therefore, this information cannot be coded in the Radiation field.
Radiation Therapy--Prostate: Is the regional treatment modality XRT best coded to 50 (brachytherapy, NOS), 53 (LDR) or 54 (HDR) when the documentation indicates only "I-125 seeds" to the prostate?
Assign code 53 [Brachytherapy, interstitial, LDR] for seeds to the prostate. Seeds are always low dose because they are left in place and the radioactivity decays over time.
Radiation Therapy--Breast: If hospital records indicate that a mammocyte intracavitary radiation therapy device was placed in the breast, but there is no follow-up documentation of radiation actually being given, should we code radiation 2 (implants) or 8 (recommended, unknown if given)?
Assign code 8 [recommended, unknown if administered]. Check this case periodically, and others coded 8. Update if further information becomes available.
Radiation Sequence with Surgery--Head & Neck: How is this field coded for a tonsil primary diagnosed on 4/16/07 by a regional lymph node FNA when the patient subsequently initiates radiation on 5/8/07 and has a tonsillectomy with neck dissection on 7/30/07?
The best way to handle this situation is to assign code 2 [Radiation before surgery] in Radiation Sequence with Surgery. Code 2 provides the best description of the sequence of events in this case. Radiation was delivered prior to the resection of the primary site.
Race, ethnicity/Spanish surname or origin: SEER Program Manual instructions state, "Portugese, Brazilians and Filipinos are not Spanish; Code non-Spanish (code 0)." How is that determined? Is that based SOLELY on birthplace? See Discussion.
The following are scenarios for which we would like clarification on how to code Spanish Ethnicity.
Birthplace Portugal; text states Spanish, south American or European Spanish
Birthplace Brazil, last name is on Spanish surname list; pt is married female. Text states "Hispanic female, NOS"
Birthplace Brazil or Portugal, text states patient is "Mexican", last name is on Spanish surname list
Information about Spanish origin is available for both of these cases; code the race as Hispanic. Use the SEER manual instruction when the only information available is that the patient was born in Portugal, Brazil or the Philippines. In the absence of additional information, do not assume Hispanic. However, if additional information is available stating that the patient is Hispanic, code as Hispanic.
Race, ethnicity/Spanish surname or origin: If birthplace is Brazil or Portugal, patient's last name is on the Spanish Surname list, and there is no text to further clarify ethnicity, what is the correct Spanish Ethnicity code: 0 or 7? See Discussion.
See also SINQ 20081075.
Assign code 7 [Spanish surname only] when the last name is on the Spanish Surname list. This includes cases for which the birthplace is Brazil, Portugal or the Philippines and there is no text to further clarify ethnicity.
The instruction to use code 0 [Non-Spanish/Non-Hispanic] in the SEER manual on page 51 (#2) applies when the only information available is the birthplace or a statement of "Portuguese," "Brazilian" or "Filipino."
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