Report | Question ID | Question | Discussion | Answer | Year |
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20190029 | Reportability--Testis: Is demarcated scar tissue with atrophic seminiferous tubules and cortical bone consistent with burnt-out germ cell tumor and no evidence of germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) reportable? See Discussion. |
The patient is a 34 year old who presented with testicular pain radiating into the abdomen approximately 1 month before orchiectomy in 2018. CT abdomen/pelvis: Multiple focal sclerotic bone lesions. Given the lack of change from July 2014, these are likely benign bone islands. No adenopathy mentioned. He has no prior history of germ cell tumor nor any surgery for any tumor/cancer before this. Pathology: Testis, left, radical orchiectomy: - Demarcated scar tissue (1.3 cm), with atrophic seminiferous tubules and cortical bone consistent with burnt-out germ cell tumor. No evidence of germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS). - Margins are unremarkable. |
Burnt-out germ cell tumor (9080/1) is not reportable. According to WHO Classification of Urinary System and Male Genital Organ, regressed germ cell tumors are germ cell tumors that have undergone partial or complete regression leaving a generally well-delineated nodular focus of scar or fibrosis in the testis. |
2019 |
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20190094 | Reportability/Heme & Lymphoid Neoplasms--Skin: Is elephantiasis nostras verrucosa (ENV) reportable as a lymphoma? See Discussion. |
The autopsy report indicated a diagnosis of: Skin: Hyperkeratosis and pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia as well as reactive angioendotheliomatosis indicating Elephantiasis Nostras Verrucosa. |
Elephantiasis nostras verrucosa (ENV) is not reportable. ENV is a rare form of chronic lymphedema caused by any number of conditions including neoplasms, trauma, radiation treatment, congestive heart failure, obesity, hypothyroidism, chronic venous stasis, and parasitic infection. |
2019 |
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20190068 | First course treatment/Scope of Reg LN Surgery--Breast: How is Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery coded when the operative report does not agree with the actual number and type of nodes removed? Are we attempting to capture the intended surgery or the type and number of nodes removed? See Discussion. |
Example 1: Operative report states the surgery is a right breast simple mastectomy. There is no lymph node removal documented or attempted; however, a single incidental intramammary node is found in the final pathology results. How should these nodes be captured in the Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery field? CAnswer Forum states to code Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery as 0 (No regional lymph nodes removed), see Scope LN surgery, incidental LN found on path, Breast. However, SEER Program Coding and Staging Manual 2018 instruction states: Code the removal of intra-organ lymph nodes in Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery. Example: Local excision of breast cancer. Specimen includes an intra-mammary lymph node. Assign code 4 (1 to 3 regional lymph nodes removed). The STORE 2018 Manual does not provide instruction for incidental nodes specifically, but does appear to be focused on capturing procedural intent. Example 2: Patient has bilateral breast primaries. Operative report states the surgery is bilateral simple/skin-sparing mastectomies with bilateral sentinel node biopsies and immediate reconstruction. However, pathology shows that the left breast specimens are labeled: (a) Left breast mastectomy, (b) Left sentinel lymph node biopsy, (c) Additional left lymph nodes biopsy, and (d) Left axillary contents biopsy. The total nodes removed for this case are: 2/2 positive SLN, 0/1 positive intramammary nodes, 1/1 positive additional lymph node, and 3/3 positive axillary contents nodes. How should these nodes be captured in the Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery field? |
Assign the best code in Scope of Regional Lymph Node Surgery to capture the type and number of nodes removed. Example 1: Code 4; 1 to 3 regional lymph nodes removed. There is no statement of the procedure being a SLNBx or dissection in the operative report; the pathology report identified one incidental regional lymph node. Coding instruction #4 example says to assign code 4 if there is a local excision of breast cancer and specimen includes an intra-mammary lymph node. Example 2: Code 6, Sentinel node biopsy and code 3, 4, or 5 at same time or timing not noted. The operative report describes sentinel node biopsies only and does not mention axillary lymph node dissection; however, the pathology report details other lymph nodes in addition to the SLNBx. In addition to the LSLNbx and left LN bx, the pathology report describes "Left axillary contents biopsy" and a total of seven lymph nodes removed. |
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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20190004 | Systemic/Surgery Sequence: Does the Systemic/Surgery Sequence field apply to only the first surgery performed (Date of First Surgical Procedure) or does it apply to the most definitive surgery (Date Most Definitive Surgery) as well? See Discussion. |
Example: Bladder primary with transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) on 2/17/2017 (Date of First Surgical Proc) followed by a second TURBT on 3/24/2017 (Date Most Definitive Surgery) with mitomycin C instilled on the second, most definitive TURB procedure. There is an edit failure (IFX166) when Systemic/Surgery Sequence is coded 5 (intra-operative systemic) and Systemic Date does not match Date of First Surgical Procedure. How should we capture the intra-operative systemic treatment during the second, most definitive TURB? Is the correct Surgery/Systemic Sequence code 3 (systemic after surgery) for this case because (intra-operative) chemo was technically given after the first surgery? |
Assign code 3 to Systemic/Surgery Sequence and document the intraoperative treatment in the text field. Surgery is defined as a Surgical Procedure to the Primary Site (codes 10-90), Scope of RLN Surgery (codes 1-7), or Surgical Procedure of Other Site (codes 1-5) in the 2018 SEER Manual. In this case, the treatment was after the first surgical procedure. |
2019 |
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20190041 | Reportability/Primary Site--Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract: Is a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with a single nodule in the small intestine (C17_) and a nodule in the stomach (C16_) reportable per the 2018 SEER Coding Manual reporting instructions for GIST due to the multiple foci or do the multiple foci need to be in the same organ to be reportable? See Discussion. |
Example: Small intestine wedge resection with GIST, 1.8 cm in mid small intestine, single nodule. Stomach nodule biopsy: GIST, 0.3 cm. Pathology report comment section indicates the gastric GIST is not staged due to the small size and incidental nature. |
Report the GIST in the small intestine. The 2018 SEER Manual says to report GIST when there are multiple foci and to code the primary site to the site where the malignancy originated. Use text fields to record the details, including the stomach nodule. |
2019 |
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20190079 | Reportability/Histology--Pancreas: Is mucinous cystic neoplasm of pancreas reportable? |
Non-invasive mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) of the pancreas with low or intermediate grade dysplasia is NOT reportable. Non-invasive mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) of the pancreas with high grade dysplasia is reportable. For neoplasms of the pancreas, the term MCN with high grade dysplasia replaces the term mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, non-invasive. |
2019 | |
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20190088 | Surgery of Primary Site/Surgical Procedure of Other Site--Breast: When bilateral nipple/skin sparing mastectomies are performed for a single primary confined to one breast, we should code 30 for surgery and 0 for Surgery of Other Site or follow the CAnswer Forum and code 1 in Surgery of Other Site? See Discussion. |
Registrars are confused because the STORE manual dropped "involved" from the description of contralateral breast removal in the Appendix B surgical codes. In April, 2019, CAnswer Forum instructed registrars to code both the surgery with uninvolved breast to the proper code, plus code Surgery of Other Site to 1. In October, they stepped back and instructed registrars not to code Surgery of Other Site to 1 if a code for uninvolved breast removal is included in the breast surgery code. However, they insist that if the surgery code is 30, subcutaneous mastectomy, and the uninvolved contralateral breast is also removed, then continue to code Surgery of Other Site to 1. This contradicts the specific instructions for Surgery of Other Sites. |
For single primaries only, code removal of involved contralateral breast under the data item Surgical Procedure/Other Site (NAACCR Item # 1294), this is, code 1, according to the 2018 SEER Manual: Assign code 1 When the involved contralateral breast is removed for a single primary breast cancer This would also apply when Surgery of the Primary Site code is 30 (subcutaneous mastectomy) for breast. If uninvolved, assign code 0 to Surgical Procedure of Other Site SEER registries should follow the instructions according to the SEER Manual. |
2019 |
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20190059 | Solid Tumor Rules/Histology--Lung: What is the histology code and what H Rule applies for a diagnosis of well differentiated adenocarcinoma in situ (bronchioloalveolar carcinoma)? See Discussion. |
There is no statement of mucinous or non-mucinous in this case, only adenocarcinoma in situ and an obsolete term bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) which used to be code 8250. However 8250 is now lepidic adenocarcinoma, and does not match this diagnosis. Although the Histology Rules do include a general note indicating that the preferred term for BAC is now mucinous adenocarcinoma 8253, it is not listed as a synonym in Table 3. As a result it is unclear how to apply this statement in accordance with the H rules. The ICD-O Histology Updates table also includes Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma, non-mucinous which seems to suggest that in order to apply histology code 8252 (non-mucinous) or 8253 (mucinous) one must also have a statement of mucinous or non-mucinous. |
Code adenocarcinoma in situ as 8140/2 using the 2018 Lung Solid Tumor Rules, Rule H4 as this single histology is listed as a synonym for adenocarcinoma (8140) in Table 3 . Bronchiolalveolar carcinoma, a synonym for adenocarcinoma in situ, is an obsolete term according to WHO Classification of Tumors of the Lung, Pleura, Thymus and Heart, 4th edition; however, some pathologists add in the no longer preferred term to the diagnosis. When stated as non-mucinous adenocarcinoma in situ, code as 8250/2 for lung only (Rule H2) and mucinous adenocarcinoma in situ as 8253/2 (Rule H1). Note: WHO published a corrected 4th Ed Lung blue book fixing the 8410 error. |
2019 |
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20190075 | Sex: How should the sex field be coded for the newly allowable non-binary gender designation ? See Discussion. |
Washington State added to birth certificates, which allows people to have their certificates changed to this non-binary gender designation. Gender X is defined as a gender that is not exclusively male or female, including, but not limited to: intersex, agender, amalgagender, androgynous, bigender, demigender, female-to-male, genderfluid, genderqueer, male-to-female, neutrois, nonbinary, pangender, third sex, transgender, transsexual, Two Spirit, and unspecified. |
Code Gender X as 9 when that is the only information available. Use text fields to document the details. Also refer to coding instruction #7. When gender is not known Assign code 1 when the primary site is C600 'C639 Assign code 2 when the primary site is C510 'C589 Assign code 9 for primary sites not included above |
2019 |