Guidelines for Abstracting a Cancer Case

What is Reportable?

All registries are required to collect data on persons who are diagnosed with a reportable malignancy and who, at the time of diagnosis, are residents of the geographic area covered by the registry. Cases diagnosed on or after January 1, 1973 are reportable to SEER. Registries that joined the SEER Program after 1973 have different reporting start dates specified in their contracts.

Cancer reporting guidelines outline the requirements for reporting tumors. Reporting requirements for SEER Registries are established by NCI SEER. Registries that report to other standard setters such as the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, or the Canadian Central Cancer Registry (CCCR) may have different or additional guidelines. A cancer registrar should be knowledgeable of all guidelines their registry is responsible for.

Current SEER Registry requirements can be found in the SEER Program and Coding Manual, https://seer.cancer.gov/tools/codingmanuals/index.html

Updated: December 28, 2023