California Cancer Reporting System Standards Volume I: Abstracting and Coding Procedures
Date information is sometimes expressed in the medical record giving an idea of an approximate date. This instruction directs abstractors on how to approximate dates.
At a minimum, a year of diagnosis is required for all analytic cases (Class of Case 00-22).
Use the date treatment was started if the patient receives a first course of treatment before a definitive diagnosis.
Text documentation must be provided for the basis of the estimated date.
Use whatever information is available to calculate the year.
Code the year of admission when there is no basis for estimation.
Terms |
Code To |
Couple of years ago |
Two years ago |
Few years ago |
Three years ago |
Use whatever information is available to calculate the month.
Leave the month blank if there is no basis for approximation.
Terms |
Code To |
Recently |
Enter the month and year of admission, and unknown ("99") for the day. If patient was admitted during the first week of a month, enter the previous month |
Several months ago |
Assume the case was first diagnosed three months before admission with the day unknown when the patient was not previously treated or if a course of treatment started elsewhere was continued at the reporting facility |
Spring |
Enter as April |
Summer |
Enter as July |
Fall or Autumn |
Enter as October |
Winter |
Enter as December or January based on available information i.e. end/beginning of year |
Early in the year |
Enter as January |
Middle of the year |
Enter as July. |
End of the year |
Enter as December |
Late in the year |
Enter as December |