Report | Question ID | Question | Discussion | Answer | Year |
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20190030 | Summary Stage 2018/Extension--Prostate: Can imaging be used to code SEER Summary Stage 2018? MRI shows tumor involved the seminal vesicles and the patient did not have surgery. AJCC does not use imaging to clinically TNM stage a prostate case. |
Note 5 was changed in Version 2.0. Per Note 5 of the 2018 SEER Summary Stage Prostate chapter: Imaging is not used to determine the clinical extension. If a physician incorporates imaging findings into their evaluation (including the clinical T category), do not use this information. This note was changed in Version 2.0 (2021 changes) to be in line with how AJCC stages; therefore, AJCC and Summary Stage agree. |
2019 | |
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20190081 | Race: How is race coded for a patient who self-reports as white? In the Family History portion of the genetics consult, it states the maternal family is of mixed European and Cherokee descent; the paternal side is of mixed German/mixed European descent. Is race coded as Race 1: 03-American Indian and Race 2: 01-White, or as 01-White according to self-report by the patient? |
Self-reported information is the highest priority for coding race. That is because the race information for the U.S. population comes from census data and that information is self-reported. For national cancer statistics, in order for the numerator (cancer cases) and the denominator (population) to be comparable, use self-reported race information whenever it is available. We will add this clarification to the SEER manual. |
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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20190033 | Update to current manual/Neoadjuvant therapy/Pathologic tumor size--Breast: When a patient with invasive breast cancer is started on neoadjuvant therapy and at surgery is found to have only residual in-situ disease, do we record the size of the in-situ tumor for Pathologic Tumor Size? See Discussion. |
I understand that we are to record the Clinical Tumor Size in Tumor Size Summary because of the neoadjuvant therapy, but the SEER manual does not address what to record in the Pathologic Tumor Size after neoadjuvant therapy. Would we record 999 or the size of the in-situ tumor in the Pathologic Tumor Size field? Will there ever be a new data item added or changes to this current data item? By recording the Patholigic Tumor Size this way, there currently will not be any way to compare tumor size clinically versus after neoadjuvant therapy and assessing the response. |
Note: this is an update to the 2018 SEER manual. Assign 999 in Pathologic Tumor Size when neoadjuvant therapy has been administered. We can explore the possibility of another data item in the future. |
2019 |
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20190050 | Reportability/Melanoma: Is evolving melanoma reportable with a Clark's level and Breslow's thickness are cited in the pathology report? See Discussion. |
How do we interpret the reportability of the following: The histological and immunohistochemical findings are most consistent with an early-evolving malignant melanoma, superficial spreading type, with Clark's level II and maximal Breslow thickness 0.33 mm, arising in association with an atypical nevus. Since a Clark's level and Breslow's thickness are included, is this reportable? Is this really an evolving melanoma? |
As of 01/01/2021, early or evolving melanoma in situ, or any other early or evolving melanoma, is reportable. |
2019 |
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20190071 | First course treatment/Surgery of Primary Site--Rectum: Please provide the correct surgery code for a laparoscopic transanal abdominal transanal (TATA) procedure with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) for rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. See Discussion. |
IMPRESSION/PLAN: Patient is a previously healthy middle aged woman with a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the rectum, clinical stage II (T3N0M0). We will proceed with a neoadjuvant course of radiation and concurrent chemotherapy (5-FU) to maximize local regional control and survival, and hopefully facilitate a sphincter-sparing resection in the future. The primary tumor and the pelvic nodes at risk will receive 4500 cGy delivered over 25 treatments. The primary tumor will subsequently receive an additional 1080 cGy delivered over 5 treatments, for a cumulative dose of 580 cGy. PATHOLOGY: Adenocarcinoma of the rectum, clinical stage II (T3N0M0). The patient is referred by (dr) for a neoadjuvant course of chemoradiotherapy. HPI: Patient presented recently with rectal bleeding and a change in bowel habits. Colonoscopy revealed an ulcerated mass located 4.0 cm above the anal verge. A biopsy was positive for invasive well-differentiated adenocarcinoma that arose from a tubular adenoma. A staging work-up demonstrated no evidence of metastatic disease. |
Code Surgery of Primary Site as 40, Pull through WITH sphincter preservation (colo-anal anastomosis). The TATA procedure is described as transanal abdominal transanal proctosigmoidectomy with coloanal anastomosis. We are assuming the BSO was not releated to treatment of the rectal cancer. Do not code it. You may document it in a text field. |
2019 |
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20190053 | Solid Tumor Rules (2018)/Histology--Brain and CNS: What is the histology code for a central nervous system (CNS) Ewing sarcoma family tumor with CIC alteration of the right parietal lobe? See Discussion. |
Table 3 (Specific Histologies, NOS, and Subtypes/Variants) lists Ewing sarcoma as a synonym for Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor 9364. Presumably, this is to be used for the reportable malignant peripheral nerve tumors when diagnosed as pPNET or Ewing sarcoma. However, this patient has a type of central (or CNS) primitive neuroectodermal tumor (histology 9473). Table 3 does not list central primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET or CPNET) as a valid histology for CNS tumors. While Table 3 does not list all the possible histologies for the CNS, it currently is not clear how one would arrive at the histology code for a CNS Ewing sarcoma family tumor with CIC alteration, as this is recognized as a new entity for primitive neuroectodermal tumors of the CNS (i.e., PNET, histology 9473) per multiple journal articles. Ewing sarcoma family tumors include both peripheral PNET and central PNET tumors, but to code this histology as a peripheral PNET (9364) in this case seems incorrect when the primary tumor is stated to be of central nervous system origin, not peripheral nervous system origin. |
Code as 9364/3. WHO Classification of Tumors of the CNS, 4th edition, refers to Ewing sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor as a tumor of neuroectodermal origin involving the CNS either as a primary dural neoplasm or by direct extension from contiguous bone or soft tissues (such as skull, vertebra, or paraspinal soft tissue). |
2019 |
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20190027 | Extent of Disease 2018/Primary tumor/Neoadjuant treatment: If there is no clinical information available and all that is available is the post-neoadjuvant information, is it better to code EOD unknown (999) or use the post-neoadjuvant information to code EOD? See Discussion. |
The Extent of Disease (EOD) Manual states: Neoadjuvant (preoperative) therapy: If the patient receives neoadjuvant (preoperative) systemic therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy) or radiation therapy, code the clinical information if that is the farthest extension documented. If the post-neoadjuvant surgery shows more extensive disease, code the extension based on the post-neoadjuvant information. |
Code EOD Primary Tumor using the post neoadjuvant information for this case. Since the only information you have is the post neoadjuvant, code that. EOD combines clinical and pathological information. |
2019 |
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20190002 | Histology/Behavior--Brain and CNS: How should Histology and Behavior be coded for a polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY) arising in the brain? |
Assign code 9505/1 for ganglioglioma. Per our expert neuropathologist, according to the paper that has done the most work on PLNTY cases, it appears most closely related to the ganglioglioma. It is surely a neoplasm as it has recurrent mutations and fusions seen in other tumors, again, most like gangliogliomas. |
2019 | |
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20190095 | Reportability/Histology--Thymus: Is a thymoma a malignancy if described as having separate tumor nodules within peri-thymic adipose tissue? See Discussion. |
Patient had a thymectomy including pericardial fat for a mediastinal mass found incidentally during lung screening. Final diagnosis is WHO B3 thymoma. Staging Summary lists transcapsular invasion: "Present, as separate tumor nodules within peri-thymic adipose tissue." Tumor extension is stated to be "Confined to thymus, including peri-thymic adipose tissue." The pathologist staged this resection as pT1a pNX with no mention of mets. Clinically, there are no noted metastatic sites and no further treatment is planned. |
Report this case as a malignant thymoma. Our expert pathologist consultant reviewed this case and in his opinion, the "separate tumor nodules within peri-thymic adipose tissue" fit registry reporting criteria for separate tumor nodules making this a malignant thymoma. |
2019 |