Report | Question ID | Question | Discussion | Answer | Year |
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20190066 | Solid Tumor Rules (2018)/Histology--Breast: How is the histology coded for a metastatic carcinoma, consistent with primary breast carcinoma, when no other pathology information is available? See Discussion. |
The 2018 Breast Solid Tumor Rules Equivalent Terms and Definitions - Changes from 2007 Multiple Primaries/Histology Rules states: Mammary carcinoma is a synonym for carcinoma no special type (NST)/duct carcinoma not otherwise specified (NOS) 8500. It will no longer be coded as carcinoma NOS 8010. Should metastatic carcinomas of breast origin be 8500, or is code 8010 (carcinoma NOS) more applicable because histology coding from metastatic sites is not as reliable? |
Code as 8500/3 as it is the only tissue available for this carcinoma associated with a breast primary. Breast carcinoma NST/NOS is now coded as 8500. |
2019 |
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20190023 | First course of treatment/Radiation therapy--Kidney: Patient has a CT-guided biopsy of a right renal mass with procedure details under the Interventional Radiology Procedure Note stating "Gelfoam tract embolization." Is this particular embolization treatment? |
Gelfoam tract embolization for a CT-guided renal biopsy is not treatment. It is a method to plug the biopsy track to reduce the risk of hemorrhage. |
2019 | |
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20190063 | Solid Tumor Rules (2018)/Histology--Sarcoma: How is histology coded for a CIC gene rearrangement sarcoma? See Discussion. |
According to the literature, CIC gene rearrangement sarcomas in young patients are soft tissue sarcomas with an aggressive clinical course and may have previously been grouped under the Ewing-like family of tumors or as undifferentiated round cell sarcomas. There is currently no guideline in the solid tumor rules for coding a CIC gene rearrangement sarcoma. However, coding the histology to 8800 (sarcoma, NOS) seems unlikely to capture the more aggressive nature of these tumors. Can a more specific histology be coded? |
Code as undifferentiated round cell sarcoma (8803/3). The CIC rearrangement exists as a distinct molecular and clinical subset of small round cell tumors, and though similar, is felt to be a distinct entity from Ewing sarcoma. According to WHO Classification of Soft Tissues and Bone, 4th Edition, CID-DUX4 is a recurrent gene fusion associated with pediatric round cell undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma (USTS). Although the genes involved in the fusion are different from those in Ewing sarcoma, the CIC-DUX4 protein has been shown to upregulate genes of the ETS family of genes thus providing a molecular link between Ewing sarcoma and round cell USTS. In contrast, there are strong arguments to suggest that Ewing-like sarcomas represent a separate and distinct entity. |
2019 |
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20190065 | Update to current manual/EOD 2018/Summary Stage 2018--CLL/SLL: Can chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) be staged when diagnosed by peripheral blood and no bone marrow biopsy, and observation is employed? See Discussion. |
The physicians do not use the Lugano system as we are instructed to stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) as lymphomas. I had always been instructed that this qualifies as "bone marrow involvement," or "diffuse disease," and therefore is a Stage IV. Our experts advise that there is not enough information to code it to bone marrow, but do not elaborate as to whether you can actually code Extent of Disease (EOD), SEER Summary Stage, and AJCC Staging? |
For EOD and Summary Stage: Peripheral blood involvement for CLL (or any lymphoma-but most commonly for CLL) can be coded. This is code 800 for 2018 EOD Primary Tumor, and code 7 for Summary Stage 2018. We have recently received confirmation that peripheral blood involvement only is not enough information to assign AJCC stage; assign code 99 for AJCC Stage Group. We will correct in the 2021 release of EOD so that peripheral blood involvement only will have its own code to derive the appropriate AJCC TNM Stage Group (99). |
2019 |
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20190001 | EOD 2018/Summary Stage 2018--Brain and CNS: What are the Extent of Disease (EOD) Primary Tumor, EOD Reg Nodes, and Summary Stage 2018 codes for intradural schwannoma of the lumbar spine (L2-L4)? See Discussion. |
Example: Patient diagnosed following a resection of a cystic mass at L2-4 that proved an intradural tumor excision with final diagnosis of schwannoma, WHO grade 1. Per new Solid Tumor Rules, the primary site in this case should be coded C476 (peripheral nerves of trunk, NOS) and histology is 9560/0 (schwannoma, NOS). However, there are currently no coding options in the Soft Tissue of Trunk and Extremities EOD schema relating to a benign tumor. Likewise there are no coding options in the Soft Tissue and Sarcoma Summary Stage 2018 schema relating to a benign tumor. How should EOD 2018 and Summary Stage 2018 be coded for reportable benign schwannomas of the spinal nerve roots? |
The instruction regarding C476 has been removed from the Solid Tumor rules. Benign and borderline neoplasms coded to C470-C479 are not reportable at this time. Assign C720 for an intradural schwannoma at L2-4. That should allow you to use the correct EOD and Summary Stage 2018 schemas. |
2019 |
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20190073 | Solid Tumor Rules (2018)/Multiple primaries--Lung: How many primaries should be reported for a patient with a March 2018 diagnosis of non-small cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation on lung biopsy (single left upper lobe tumor only) who also has a prior history of left lung squamous cell carcinoma in 2016 (treated with chemotherapy/radiation)? See Discussion. |
The Solid Tumor Rules instruct us not to use differentiation for coding histology unless it is specifically listed in the table. The terminology non-small cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation is not in lung histology Table 2. However, SINQ 20150033, prior to Solid Tumor rules, indicates this diagnosis should be coded to 8574 (adenocarcinoma/carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation). This presentation appears to represent distinctly different histologies. However, because the 2018 histology diagnosis is not in the table and the prior SINQ appears to disagree with current instruction, it is not clear how to apply the M rules to this case. The outcome of the histology coding will affect the number of primaries reported in this case. |
Abstract separate primaries according to the 2018 Lung Solid Tumor Rules. Lung Table 3 is not an exhaustive list of lung histologies and the H rules instruct you to use the tables, ICD-O and/or ICD-O updates. Per ICD-O-3, carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation is coded to 8574/3; whereas, squamous cell carcinoma is coded to 8070/3. These represent distinct histologies on different rows in Table 3. |
2019 |
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20190046 | Tumor Size/Bladder: The 2018 SEER Coding and Staging Manual says to use imaging over physical exam as priority for determining tumor size. If a bladder tumor is 4 cm visualized on cystoscopy, and is 2.8 cm on CT scan, which should be used as the clinical size? Is cystoscopy (endoscopy) a clinical exam or imaging? |
For the case described here, use the size from the CT scan. Physical exam includes what can be seen by a clinician either directly or through a scope. A tumor size obtained visually via cystoscopy is part of a physical exam. Therefore, the imaging (CT) tumor size is preferred. Use text fields to describe the details. |
2019 | |
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20190054 | Update to current manual/Solid Tumor Rules (2018)/Histology--Brain and CNS: Table 6 (Non-Malignant CNS Equivalent Terms and Definitions) lists as a subtype/variant of craniopharyngioma 9350/1. This is not a valid histology per the ICD-O-3 or the 2018 ICD-O-3 Update Table. Is this actually supposed to read, ? |
Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (9351/1) is a subtype of craniopharygioma. We will correct the Non-Malignant CNS Solid Tumor Rules in the next update. |
2019 | |
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20190097 | Solid Tumor Rules (2018)/Multiple primaries--Lung: How many primaries are there and what M rules apply for multiple lung histologies in the left lower lobe (LLL) and right upper lobe (RUL) of the lungs? See Discussion. |
There is one tumor in the left lung that is acinar adenocarcinoma, 8551/3, and two tumors in the right lung, one of which is 8551/3 and a separate one that is mucinous adenocarcinoma 8253/3. 3/21/18- left robotic video assisted thoracoscopy with left lower lobe lobectomy: 2.5 cm adenocarcinoma, acinar predominant, margins negative 11/3/18- right upper lobe lobectomy: invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma, 1.7 cm, invasive adenocarcinoma, acinar predominant, 0.6 cm, margins negative If you start by comparing the 8551/3 left lung tumor to the 8253/3 right lung tumor, M6 applies and these would be separate primaries (seq 01 and seq 02). How would we handle the third tumor, 8551/3, in the right lung? Seq 01: 3/21/18- left lung primary 8551/3 Seq 02: 11/3/18- right lung primary 8253/3 Is the right lung tumor 8551/3 a third primary, and if so, which M rule applies? I cannot find a rule that seems to fit completely. Rule M6 may apply if you were comparing the right 8551/3 tumor to the seq 02 8253/3 tumor. But how would you know to use the seq 02 histology code 8253/3 or seq 01 histology code 8551/3 for the comparison? I think M9 was designed for situations where you have multiple tumors involving both lungs but they didn't biopsy all of them. Is that correct? If so, then we would be able to bypass M9. Would M11 apply since we already took care of two of the tumors with rule M6? If M11 doesn't apply, it seems like you would get to M14. |
Abstract two primaries applying Rules M6 and M9 s follows. First, assign a histology for each tumor. --LLL adenocarcinoma, acinar predominant 8551/3 --RUL invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma 8253/3 --RUL invasive adenocarcinoma, acinar predominant 8551/3 For the RUL, this is two primaries according to Rule M6, to subtypes in Column 3 of the histology table. For the LLL and RUL, this represents the same primary as these are the same histology according to Rule M9. |
2019 |
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20190015 | Update to current manual/EOD 2018--EOD Primary Tumor: Should Note 6 in Extent of Disease (EOD) Primary Tumor for the schemas Fallopian Tube, Ovary, and Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma be revised to exclude pelvic sites? See Discussion. |
There is a discrepancy between Notes 3 and 6 in the schemas Fallopian Tube, Ovary, and Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma for EOD Primary Tumor. Note 3 describes extension/discontinuous metastasis to the pelvic sites (code 450) and includes the sigmoid colon, rectosigmoid and rectum since these are all pelvic sites. However, Note 6 also includes rectosigmoid and sigmoid colon. Note 6 is describing extension/discontinuous metastasis to the abdominal sites (600-750), so it should include rectosigmoid or sigmoid colon (since those are pelvic sites). Note 6 indicates, Intestine, large (except rectum). In the previous Collaborative Stage, the corresponding note used to also include: except sigmoid colon, rectosigmoid and rectum. Did sigmoid colon and rectosigmoid get removed from the list here? That is, should Note 6 read, Intestine, large (except sigmoid colon, rectosigmoid, rectum)? Involvement of the sigmoid, rectosigmoid, or rectum via peritoneal seeding/metastasis is consistent with T2b disease and would correlate with code 450 (pelvic sites), not codes 600-750 (abdominal sites). Those codes only correlate with T3 and greater disease (i.e., peritoneal seeding/metastasis of the abdomen). |
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. Rectosigmoid and Sigmoid Colon belong in Note 3 and not Note 6 for the following EOD schemas: Fallopian Tube, Ovary, and Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma. Rectosigmoid and sigmoid colon will be removed as separate listings from Note 6. The only mention in Note 6 will be: Intestine, large (except rectum, rectosigmoid, and sigmoid colon) This change will be made for the next update. |
2019 |