Code

Description

00

None; no cancer-directed surgery of primary site; autopsy only

10

[Local] Tumor destruction, NOS

Note: No specimen sent to pathology from surgical event 10.

Note: Do not record stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), Gamma knife, Cyber knife, or Linac radiosurgery as surgical tumor destruction.  All of these modalities are recorded in the radiation treatment fields.

SEER Note: Local tumor destruction, NOS

Specimen sent to pathology from surgical events 20-55.

20

Local excision (biopsy) of tumor, lesion or mass; excisional biopsy.

SEER Note: Assign code 20 for stereotactic biopsy of brain tumor.

21

Subtotal resection of tumor, lesion or mass in brain

22

Resection of tumor of spinal cord or nerve

Codes 30-55 are not applicable for spinal cord or spinal nerve primary sites.

30

Radical, total, gross resection of tumor, lesion or mass in brain

40

Partial resection of lobe of brain, when surgery cannot be coded as 20-30.

55

Gross total resection of lobe of brain (lobectomy)

90

Surgery, NOS

[SEER Guideline: Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) – code 90 if specimen sent to pathology]

99

Unknown if surgery performed; death certificate only