SEER Inquiry System - Search

As a general rule, the surgeon is usually in a better position to determine the site of origin compared to the pathologist. The surgeon sees the tumor in its anatomic location, while the pathologist is often using information given to him/her by the surgeon and looking at a specimen removed from the anatomic landmarks. However, when a pathologist is looking at an entire organ, such as the pancreas, he/she may be able to pinpoint the site of origin within that organ.

In the case of pancreas body vs. neck, the neck is a thin section of the pancreas located between the head and the body. It may be a matter of opinion whether a tumor is located in the "body" vs. the "neck." In the situation you describe, we would give preference to the surgeon and assign the code for body of pancreas, C251.

The patient's previous acinar adenocarcinoma in the right lower lobe of the lung in 2020 and squamous cell carcinoma in the right middle lobe of the lung in 2021 were correctly abstracted as two primaries per rule M8 as they are in different rows in Table 3. The NSCLC, RUL (8046) diagnosed in 2022 would not be abstracted as a third primary because NSCLC is a broad category which includes all histologies in Table 3 (except for small cell carcinoma/neuroendocrine tumors (NET Tumors) 8041 and all subtypes), and because it was diagnosed less than 3 years after the 2021 squamous cell carcinoma, RML (8070).

Your case is equivalent to encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma, non-invasive (non-invasive EFVPTC) and is not reportable for cases diagnosed in 2021 or later even though it says "carcinoma." That is because the WHO assigned a behavior code of /1 to this entity (8349/1). NIFTP is assigned to the same histology and behavior code.

Code the Date of First Surgical Procedure as 01/01/2023 in the example provided where the shave biopsy is followed by wide excision. Beginning in 2023, significant changes were made in that shave, punch, and elliptical biopsies are coded as surgical procedure regardless of margin status. Appendix C Skin Surgery Codes state that an incisional biopsy would be a needle or core biopsy of the primary tumor.

Please see Appendix M: Case Studies for Coding Melanoma in STORE v23, Case study 2: Shave Biopsy followed by WLE (page 412), for an explicit example of how to code your example case.

We will clarify this in the upcoming release of the SEER manual,

EOD follows AJCC criteria in this situation and we have confirmed with AJCC that Stage T2a (superficial muscle) and Stage T2b (deep muscle) cannot be assigned when only a TURB is done.

For EOD Primary Tumor, Bladder, codes 200, 250, 300, 350, can only be used when

• Cystectomy is performed
• Muscularis propria is involved, AND
• Pathology report states superficial muscle (200, 250) or deep muscle (300, 350) is involved

If a TURB is done and there is mention of the muscularis propria invasion (superficial muscle or deep muscle), use EOD codes 370 or 400. If a TURB is done and the pathology report states superficial or deep muscle, ignore and coded as “invasion of muscularis propria, NOS” (EOD codes 370 or 400).

Instructions and code descriptions for EOD Primary Tumor have been updated to indicate this. These updated instructions and code descriptions will be available when SEER*RSA is updated for 2024, Version 3.1 (Sept/Oct 2023). These updates are included here for reference and can be applied for cases diagnosed 2018+.

Do not report superficial angiomyxoma (8841/0) or aggressive angiomyxoma (8841/0).  WHO Classification of Female Genital Tumors, 5th edition, defines deep (aggressive) angiomyoma as a benign, infiltrative, myxoid spindle cell neoplasm that occurs in deep soft tissue of the pelviperineal region.

Report intracholecystic papillary neoplasm (ICPN) with high-grade dysplasia (8503/2) of the gallbladder.

Abstract a single primary and assign code 9700/3 for MF.  According to our subject matter expert, this is all MF.  When MF progresses, there can be large cd30 positive T cells. This is not the same as anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Code AML with monocytic differentiation as acute myeloid leukemia, NOS (9861/3) per consultation with our expert hematopathologist.

Acute monoblastic and monocytic leukemia (9891/3) and acute myelomonocytic leukemia (9867/3) are distinct entities according to the WHO. "AML with monocytic differentiation" is a descriptive diagnosis, whereas, "Acute monoblastic and monocytic leukemia" are specific diagnoses. In the WHO Classification of Tumours, Central nervous system tumours (4th Ed) in 2016, WHO began integrating information on molecular alterations that provide significant prognostic implications and/or a therapeutic target into the histology code/term itself. As a result it is also important to look at the molecular testing because acute myeloid leukemias can have different molecular mutations that could result in coding to a different histology code. In this case, there was no other information regarding additional immunophenotyping, so that is why AML, NOS was assigned.  Acute myeloid leukemia with monocytic differentiation has been added to the Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Neoplasm Database as an alternate name for 9861/3.

Code Lupron as second course therapy and code active surveillance as first course therapy in this scenario. The 2023 SEER Manual states to code all treatment data items to 0 or 00 (Not done) when the physician opts for active surveillance, deferred therapy, expectant management, or watchful waiting.  Assign code 2 to Treatment Status. 

Active surveillance is not the same as "refusing treatment."  Active surveillance is a valid option offered to the patient.  The patient chose this option and later changed their mind.  This is not a refusal of recommended treatment.

Document all the details in the appropriate treatment text fields.