Report | Question ID | Question | Discussion | Answer | Year |
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20041083 | CS Lymph Nodes/CS Reg Nodes Eval -- Rectum: If the rectal tumor is not treated with a resection but on endoscopic ultrasound the patient is stated to have a lymph node above the primary tumor and the physician stages the case clinically as N1, should the CS Lymph Nodes field be coded to 30 [Regional lymph node(s), NOS] or 10[Rectal, NOS]? Should the evaluation field be coded to 0 [No lymph nodes removed. Evidence based on other non-invasive clinical evidence] or 1 [No lymph nodes removed. Evidence based on endoscopic examination.]? See Discussion. | Rectal primary: 5/04 sigmoidoscopy w/bx of rectal mass: adenocarcinoma. 6/04 Endoscopic ultrasound of rectal mass: invasion through wall but no definite invasion of prostate or seminal vesicles; 7.5mm lymph node located above tumor, no other enlarged lymph nodes detected. Patient did not have surgery. Physician staged lymph node involvement to clinical N1. |
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 CS Lymph Nodes code 10 [Regional lymph nodes] based on the physician's N1. Assign code 10 because it is the lowest numerical CS code that corresponds to N1 in the scheme for rectum. Use the physician's assignment of TNM when the information in the medical record is incomplete or ambiguous. Code CS Reg Nodes Eval field 0 [No lymph nodes removed] for the case described above because there is no indication that N1 was assigned based on the endoscopic exam. The NI may be based solely on TNM documentation provided by the clinician and you do not know what the clinician used as the basis for the staging. |
2004 |
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20041036 | Surgery of Primary Site/Surgery codes, NOS--Colon: What tissue specimens are included under this field's code 41 [Subtotal colectomy/hemicolectomy plus resection of contiguous organ; example: small bowel, bladder]? See Discussion. |
How is site specific surgery coded for the following two cases? Example 1. A right hemicolectomy normally includes a portion of ileum. Example 2. Subtotal colectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. |
Code 40 includes a right hemicolectomy. A right hemicolectomy normally includes a small portion of the terminal ileum removed with the ileocecal valve. Assign code 41 when resection of CONTIGUOUS organs goes beyond what would normally be removed as part of a subtotal colectomy/hemicolectomy. Record non-contiguous organ resection in Surgical Procedure of Other Site. Example 1: Surgery of Primary Site -- 40 [Subtotal colectomy/hemicolectomy]. Example 2: Surgery of Primary Site -- 40 [Subtotal colectomy/hemicolectomy]. Surgical Procedure of Other Site -- 2 [Non-primary surgical procedure to other regional sites]. Addendum July 2021 For coding Surgical Procedure of Other Site, see the instructions for determining regional vs distant sites in the 2021 SEER manual under Coding Instructions #6 and #7 on pages 184-185. Do not use Summary Stage to determine regional vs distant for this data item. |
2004 |
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20041005 | EOD-Extension--Retroperitoneum: Does the presence of "necrotic masses, NOS" in the blood, which are not pathologically evaluated, affect the coding of this field? See Description. | Encapsulated malignant tumor within the retroperitoneum was removed. Surgical report: "In the abdomen, blood had necrotic masses floating freely and encapsulated a 3-4" mass." No pathologic assessment of the necrotic masses is available. | For cases diagnosed 1998-2003: Necrotic masses do not affect the EOD-extension code. | 2004 |
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20041020 | EOD-Extension--Sarcoma: How is this field coded for a soft tissue sarcoma that involves the overlying skin? | For cases diagnosed 1998-2003: It depends on the location of the soft tissue sarcoma. If the tumor is very superficial, code EOD-Extension to 60 [Adjacent organs/structures]. However, if the soft tissue sarcoma is between muscles or "deep" according to the AJCC definition, then it would have to grow through the superficial fascia to get to the skin. In this case code EOD-Extension to 80 [Further contiguous extension]. | 2004 | |
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20041081 | Reporting Source: Is an ER patient who is diagnosed on peripheral smear with an acute leukemia coded as an outpatient if the patient died while in the process of being admitted for treatment or is the patient coded as a death certificate case? | Code reporting source as 1 [Hospital Inpatient/Outpatient or Clinic] for the case above. This case will be abstracted using information from the outpatient/ER record (and the death certificate). | 2004 | |
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20041030 | Histology (Pre-2007)--Lung: What is the correct histology code for this case of squamous cell carcinoma with several different variants? See Discussion. | The path report from a left pneumonectomy says: This squamous cell carcinoma had several different variants present including typical non-keratinizing squamous cell, spindled cell squamous cell, clear cell squamous cell and a small cell variant of squamous cell. I cannot find a combination code that fits; the majority of the tumor is not stated; so do you code the highest specific type mentioned - 8084 - Squamous cell, clear cell type? |
For tumors diagnosed prior to 2007:
Assign histology code 8070 [squamous cell carcinoma, NOS]. Squamous cell carcinoma, NOS includes types of squamous cell carcinoma without a specific code. This is a combination squamous tumor that does not have a unique code.
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. |
2004 |
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20041025 | Immunotherapy/Chemotherapy: Are monoclonal antibodies, such as Avastin and Erbitux, coded as immunotherapy or chemotherapy? See Discussion. | In review of the "FDA-approved oncology agents not listed in SEER Book 8" provided in 5/02, it appears "monoclonal antibodies" are coded as immunotherapy. | Code Avastin and Erbitux as chemotherapy because both of these drugs are growth inhibitors. Code growth inhibitors (cytostatic agents) as chemotherapy. Do not assume that monoclonal antibodies are coded as immunotherapy. | 2004 |
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20041099 | First Course Treatment: If a patient makes a blanket refusal of all recommended therapy or refuses all treatment before any therapy was recommended, are only immunotherapy and hematologic/endocrine therapies to be coded as refused (code 87)? Or should all treatment modalities be coded as refused if a patient makes a blanket refusal? Or should none of the treatment modalities be coded as refused because we do not know what would have been recommended? See Discussion. | Coding instructions for immunotherapy and for hematologic/endocrine procedures state that Code 87 is to be assigned if either of the following circumstances apply: 1) If the patient made a blanket refusal of all recommended treatment. 2) If the patient refused all treatment before any was recommended. These instructions are not included for other treatment modalities. | When the patient refuses treatment, the first course of therapy is no treatment. Code all treatments as refused. | 2004 |
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20041076 | CS Extension--Colon: What is the difference between codes 46 [Adherent to other organs or structures, but no microscopic tumor found in adhesion(s)] and 57 [Adherent to other organs or structures, NOS]? See Discussion. | Code 46 reads "Adherent to other organs or sturcture, but no microscopic tumor found in adhesion(s)". Would these examples be coded to 46? Example 1: 7/04 Op findings: mass was adherent to duodenum without obvious invasion. Path: margins negative (no mention of duodenum). Case staged to pT3. Example 2: Op findings: large mass involving cecum adherent to peritoneum & retroperitoneum. Path: invasion of pericolic soft tissue; margins negative (no metion of peritoneum & retroperitoneum). Case staged to pT3. |
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 46: Attached to other organ (on imaging or surgical observation); pathology says no invasion of the other organ. Code 57: Attached to other organ; pathology is positive for invasion of other organ, or pathology does not specify whether there is invasion of the other organ. Example 1: Code extension to 46 [Adherent to other organs or sturcture, but no microscopic tumor found in adhesion(s)]. The tumor was attached to the duodenum, but not invading Example 2: Code extension to 46 [Adherent to other organs or structure, but no microscopic tumor found in adhesion(s)]. The tumor was attached to peritoneum & retroperitoneum, but not invading based on negative margins and no peritoneum or retroperitoneum specimen submitted to pathologist. |
2004 |
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20041088 | CS Extension/EOD Extension--Renal Pelvis: Primary site is renal pelvis with direct extension to the rt adrenal gland. What is the correct extension code? | 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 CS Extension code 67 [Adrenal gland from renal pelvis] for adrenal extension from renal pelvis -- T4 and regional direct extension. |
2004 |