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Report Produced: 02/26/2026 05:29 AM

Report Question ID Question Discussion Answer Year
20051076 Chemotherapy--Breast: In the absence of more specific information, is the insertion of a port-a-cath one month after mastectomy enough documentation to code chemotherapy to 88 [Recommended]? Assign chemotherapy code 88 [Chemotherapy was recommended, but it is unknown if it was administered]. Be sure to confirm whether or not treatment was administered and update this code accordingly. 2005
20051058 Primary Site/Histology (Pre-2007)--Rectum: How are rectal biopsies with the histology of "poorly differentiated carcinoma with mixed basaloid and squamous features" coded if, per the SEER site/histology validation table, the histology 8094/3 [basosquamous carcinoma] histology cannot be coded to the rectum for the primary site?

For tumors diagnosed prior to 2007:

Code primary site C209 [rectum] and histology 8094/3 [basosquamous carcinoma]. As of 6/9/2003, this is no longer an impossible site/histology combination.

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.

 2005
20051051

CS Lymph Nodes/Reg LN Pos/Exam: Is a final pathologic diagnosis of "Level 8 lymph node: Fibroadipose tissue containing a minute lymphoid aggregate, negative for malignancy" a lymph node for the purpose of coding these 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.

Yes. "Fibroadipose tissue containing minute lymphoid aggregate" qualifies as a lymph node. Include in count as one lymph node examined in the example above assuming this is regional to the primary site.

 2005
20051128 CS Lymph Nodes/CS Site Specific Factor 3--Breast: How are positive intramammary lymph nodes reflected in these fields? See Discussion. Patient with breast cancer underwent mastectomy. No axillary lymph nodes were positive, but 1 out of 2 intramammary lymph nodes were positive for mets (greater than 2 mm). CS Lymph node codes describe axillary and internal mammary nodes, but do not describe intramammary lymph nodes.

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.

Intramammary lymph nodes are coded as axillary lymph nodes for staging purposes. Intramammary node are nodes within the breast tissue. Both staging and treatment suggest these are equivalent to axillary nodes.

 2005
20051086 CS Site Specific Factor 4--Prostate: For apex involvement at prostatectomy, is only apical involvement found at prostatectomy included or is all histologically proven apical involvement documented in the second digit of Site Specific Factor 4? See Discussion.

Per note 1 for Site Specific Factor 3 - Pathologic Extension all histologic information is used. Biopsy information would be included when coding path extension. Would all histologic information be used for coding prostatectomy apex involvement in Site Specific Factor 4?

Example 1: Prostate biopsies of the right and left apex and right and left mid gland show adenocarcinoma. Prostatectomy shows bilateral adenocarcinoma. Apex negative for tumor.

Example 2: Prostate biopsies of right apex and mid gland show adenocarcinoma. There is no mention of apex on prostatectomy path. How is CS Site Specific Factor 4 Prostate Apex Involvement coded?

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.

Assign the second digit of CS SSF 4 based on prostatectomy only, do not include biopsy or other histologic information in the second digit.

According to the CS Steering Committee, the clinical or biopsy of the prostate is included in the first number of the code and should not be combined with the prostatectomy code which is the second number. These were separated purposely.

Example 1: Code the second digit of SSF 4 based on the prostatectomy, 1 [no involvement of prostatic apex].

Example 2: Code the second digit of SSF 4 based on the prostatectomy, 5 [apex extension unknown].

 2005
20051077 First Course Treatment--Unknown & ill-defined site: We have a case with an unknown primary site and the patient had chemoembolization into the hepatic artery. We don't know how to code this treatment. See Discussion. We were told to code as surgery (10) and chemo (01). However an unknown primary automatically gets a (98) surgery code & the chemo is coded (01) but we can't code as systemic therapy. This is an edit. Chemo coded but no date of systemic therapy.

Effective for cases coded prior to the change in policy made on January 9, 2008, code chemoembolization of a metastatic site as 1 [nonprimary surgical procedure performed] in Surgical Procedure of Other Site.

Surgery of Primary Site code 98 is assigned to all cases with an unknown primary.

In the case of a liver primary, it would be coded 10 [local tumor destruction, NOS] in Surgical Procedure of Primary Site.

 2005
20051102 CS Extension--Breast: What is the CS Extent for this 2004 breast cancer? See Discussion. A patient had lobular carcinoma of the left breast in 2000. At that time, she had bilateral simple mastectomies and the right breast was benign. In 2004, she notices a nodule in the right chest wall, which is excised and found to be invasive ductal ca and lobular ca in situ. So is this Sequence 2, C50.9, 8522/3. And what is the CS Extent - 40 chest wall? (The physician stages this as T2N0M0)

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.Residual breast tissue is present following a mastectomy. If the nodule is in the breast tissue (tissue above the ribs), assign CS extension code 10 [Confined to breast tissue...Localized, NOS]. If the nodule is in the chest wall (tissue below the ribs), assign code 40 [Invasion of chest wall].

 2005
20051038 First Course Treatment--Prostatic Urethra: Is Lupron coded for a papillary carcinoma of the prostatic urethra that is treated with a TUR with fulguration and beam radiation even though the prostate biopsies are negative? Do not code lupron as treatment for a primary in the prostatic urethra. 2005
20051033 CS Site Specific Factor--Melanoma: What is the correct code for measured thickness in SSF 1 for a melanoma of the choroid without an enucleation? See Discussion. CS Site Specific Factor 1 for melanoma of the choroid codes "Measured Thickness (Depth), Breslow's Measurement." The note for this field states "Record actual measurement in millimeters from the pathology report." For melanoma of the eye, there is often only an eye exam report stating the thickness. Can PE thickness (clinical statement only) be coded for SSF 1 or is this field coded only from pathology? (i.e., all cases treated without enucleation would have this field coded to 999)

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.

Code SSF 1 999 [Unknown] when there is no enucleation, and therefore, no pathology report for a choroid melanoma.

 2005
20051140 CS Reg LN Pos/Exam--Breast: How are nodes positive/examined coded for a positive FNA of a lymph node followed by a subsequent lymph node dissection? See Discussion.

A breast cancer patient had an FNA of an axillary lymph node positive for metastases. A modified radical mastectomy with lymph node dissection showed six lymph nodes negative for metastases.

Example 1: Patient received neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to mastectomy and lymph node dissection.

Example 2: Patient received no neoadjuvant therapy.

This question is answered for EOD in SINQ 20031059. What is the answer for Collaborative Stage?

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.Include all nodes examined by the pathologist in Regional lymph nodes positive and Regional lymph nodes examined, unless there is disease progression. These fields are cumulative -- record the total number of regional nodes positive and examined during first course of treatment. Preoperative treatment does not affect the coding of these fields.

An FNA alone, positive for regional lymph node metastasis is coded as 95 for number positive and 95 for number examined.

For the case examples above, assuming there has been no disease progression, include all nodes positive and all nodes examined from both the FNA and the lymph node dissection in the counts. Code number of regional nodes positive as 01, number examined as 07 for both examples.

 2005