Pathology Report
See the current version of the SEER Program Coding Manual, Section IV, Description of this Neoplasm for the complete coding instructions on the related pathology data items.
- Section IV: Description of this Neoplasm
- Section V: Stage of Disease at Diagnosis
- Section VI: Stage Related Data Items
In addition to cytology reports, there are also pathology reports, which come from two main sources.
- Biopsy
- Surgical Resection
- Procedure that is used to remove the cancer
| Data Item | Comments | Text Field | Source of coding instructions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Diagnosis | The pathology report is usually the date that the cancer is microscopically (histologically) confirmed; however, the date of diagnosis may be prior to the pathology report (e.g., diagnosed on imaging) | #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER Program Coding Manual, under Section IV: Description of this Neoplasm |
| Primary Site | The Central Nervous System has multiple subsites. Review the pathology report to see if you can determine the subsite Note: If the pathology report(s) don’t provide the subsite, review operative report or imaging to see if the subsite is documented |
#2580: Text-Primary Site Title AND #2570: Text-Dx-Proc-Path |
|
| Histology | This is the ICD-O-3 Morphology code assigned | #2590: Text-Histology Title AND #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path |
Solid Tumor Rules, under Malignant CNS and Non-Malignant CNS |
| Behavior | This reflects whether the tumor is benign, borderline, in situ, or invasive | #2590: Text-Histology Title AND #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path |
Solid Tumor Rules, under Malignant CNS and Non-Malignant CNS |
| Laterality | The following subsites must have a laterality code other than 0: C471, C710-C714, C722-C725 Note: These subsites can be coded to 5 for a midline tumor. |
#2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER Program Coding Manual, Section IV: Description of this Neoplasm |
| Regional Nodes Positive | Records the number regional lymph nodes found to contain metastasis Note: Not applicable for CNS tumors |
#2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER Program Coding Manual, under Section VII: First Course of Therapy |
| Regional Nodes Examined | Records the number of regional lymph nodes that were removed and examined Note: Not applicable for CNS tumors |
#2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER Program Coding Manual, under Section VII: First Course of Therapy |
| Grade | See Grade | #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER*RSA, Brain, CNS Other, Intracranial Gland schemas OR Schemas | SSDI Data | (naaccr.org)  |
Updated: September 23, 2026
Suggested Citation
SEER Training Modules: Pathology Report. U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Cited 24 September 2026. Available from: https://training.seer.cancer.gov.