Report | Question ID | Question | Discussion | Answer | Year |
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20000843 | Place of Birth: When there is conflicting information, which record takes precedence in coding this field, the medical record or the death certificate? | If there is a discrepancy, use the information from the medical record to code the Place of Birth field. The information from the medical record is provided by the patient, the information on the death certificate is provided by others. If the medical record does not contain birth information, use the information from the death certificate. | 2000 | |
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20000487 | Primary Site--Kaposi Sarcoma: Would the following Kaposi primaries be examples of cases not coded to skin for primary site? See discussion. | 1. KS developed initially as a lesion in the oral cavity and followed by the appearance of skin lesions.
2. KS found in a resected parotid gland with metastasis to the parotid gland lymph node. No skin lesions identified.
3. KS discovered in a biopsied 3 cm axillary lymph node. Clinically, the patient had hepatosplenomegaly, ascites, and extensive mesenteric lymph nodes. (No mention of skin.) |
Code the Primary Site field as follows:
1. C44.9 [Skin, NOS] as the default value when lesions develop simultaneously in skin and non-skin areas. 2. C07.9 [Parotid gland] 3. C44.9 [Skin, NOS] as the default value when there is no mention of lesions in the skin or other primary site.
Edward Klatt states in Practical AIDS Pathology, "...Visceral Kaposi (involving one or more internal organ sites) is also present in three-fourths of cases, but may not be diagnosed prior to autopsy. Visceral involvement frequently includes the lung, lymph nodes and gastro-intestinal tract." |
2000 |
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20000280 | Primary Site--Breast: Is there a hierarchy for coding subsite for breast cases when there is conflicting information in the physical exam, mammogram, operative and pathology reports as to the exact location of the primary? See discussion. | Example: Two mammograms were performed. One report indicates the lesion is at 12:00 and the other indicates it is in the upper central quadrant. However, the pathology report from the modified radical mastectomy specimen indicates the mass is in the UIQ.
According to one of our physicians, when a pathologist has a mastectomy specimen with attached axillary contents, the location of the lesion (subsite) is very accurate. |
Code the Primary Site field to C50.2 [upper inner quadrant]. In general, the priority for using information is pathologic, operative, and clinical findings. The pathology report would take precedence in this case. The 2004 SEER Program Code manual will include the following instructions for determining breast subsite. Priority Order for Coding Subsites Use the information from reports in the following priority order to code a subsite when the medical record contains conflicting information: 1 Pathology report 2 Operative report 3 Physical examination 4 Mammogram, ultrasound If the pathology proves invasive tumor in one subsite and insitu tumor in all other involved subsites, code to the subsite involved with invasive tumor. |
2000 |
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20000511 | EOD-Pathologic Review of Number of Regional Lymph Nodes Positive and Examined: What codes are used to represent these fields when only a regional lymph node (positive) aspiration is performed? | For cases diagnosed 1998-2003:
With the exception of those sites/histologies that require 99 in these fields, code the Number of Regional Lymph Nodes Positive field to 97 [Positive nodes but number of positive nodes not specified]. Code the Number of Regional Lymph nodes Examined field to 95 [No regional Lymph nodes removed, but aspiration of regional Lymph nodes was performed]. |
2000 | |
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20000842 | Surgery of Primary Site--Skin: Explain the difference between code 30 and code 45.
Code 30 [Biopsy of primary tumor followed by a gross excision of the lesion]
Code 45 [Wide excision or re-excision of lesion or minor (local) amputation with margins more than 1 cm, NOS. Margins MUST be microscopically negative.] |
For cases diagnosed 1/1/2003 and after: Code 30 represents a biopsy or excision in which the margins of excision are less than 1 cm or the margins are unknown. Code 45 represents a wide excision in which it is known that the margins of excision are greater than 1 cm. | 2000 | |
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20000484 | EOD-Size of Primary Tumor--Breast/Cervix: When coding tumor size, when do you use 997 for breast cases and 000 versus 999 for breast and other primaries? See discussion. | Example 1: Ductal carcinoma found in axillary lymph nodes. No tumor found in breast on physical exam or by pathological exam of the breast, but physician states that the breast is definitely the primary site.
Example 2: Paget disease for breast carcinoma with no underlying tumor.
Example 3: Inspection of the cervix shows no visible tumor; biopsy of the cervix reveals CIN III or squamous cell carcinoma, either invasive or in situ. |
For cases diagnosed 1998-2003:
Code the EOD-Size of Primary Tumor field as follows:
Example 1: Code to 000 [No mass, no tumor found, no Paget disease] when a tumor of a stated primary site is not found, but the tumor has metastasized.
Example 2: Code to 997 [Paget disease of nipple with no demonstrable tumor] if there is no underlying tumor and the patient presents with Paget of the breast.
Example 3: Code to 999 [Size not stated] when no size of tumor is given on the pathology report. Do not use 000 in the size field when a tumor is not visible on physical exam or by imaging, but tumor is found microscopically. |
2000 |
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20000502 | EOD-Extension/EOD-Lymph Nodes: Can the AJCC TNM/Stage be used to help code these fields when there is limited text information in the medical record that describes the tumor involvement? | For cases diagnosed 1998-2003:
Yes, this staging information can be used to help code the SEER EOD fields but only if a physician does the TNM/Stage at the time of diagnosis and there is limited text information that describes tumor involvement. |
2000 | |
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20000547 | Histology (Pre-2007): What code is used to represent the histology "non-small cell carcinoma, NOS"? See discussion. | Should a non-small cell carcinoma histology be assumed to be a large cell carcinoma [8031/3] or should the histology be coded to carcinoma, NOS [8010/3]? | For tumor diagnosed 2001-2006: Code the Histology field to 8046/3 [non-small cell carcinoma].
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. |
2000 |
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20000554 | EOD-Extension--Stomach: What code is used to represent this field for a stomach primary described as linitis plastica? | For cases diagnosed 1998-2003:
Code the EOD-Extension field to 30 [Localized, NOS], unless more information is known about the extent of tumor involvement. Coding the Histology field to 8142/3 [Linitis plastica] and the Size of Primary Tumor field to 998 [Diffuse; widespread; 3/4 or more: Linitis plastica] identifies this diagnosis.
In the EOD-Extension field, the depth of invasion is the important characteristic to be coded. The 10 digit EOD corresponds to the AJCC Staging Manual in which the "T" is based on level of invasion. While a diagnosis of linitis plastica indicates a worse prognosis, it does not define the extent of infiltration. There is no luminal mass with linitis plastica. Instead, the entire gastric wall is thickened by tumor. |
2000 | |
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20000483 | EOD-Extension--Corpus Uteri: What code is used to represent this field for a corpus primary (sounding 8 cm or less in length) treated with radiation prior to a hysterectomy that pathologically showed superficial myometrial invasion? Is it possible that the invasion could have been more extensive prior to the radiation treatment? | For cases diagnosed 1998-2003:
Code the EOD-Extension field to 12 [Myometrium, inner half] which represents the extension you know. In this particular case, there was no clinical evidence of extension outside the corpus. As long as the surgery was not performed because of disease progression, use information from the surgery to code EOD extension. |
2000 |