Immunotherapy

See the current version of the SEER Program Coding Manual under Section VII: First Course of Therapy, for complete coding instructions for the immunotherapy data items.

Immunotherapy or biologic response modifiers (BRM) helps a person’s immune system fight cancer. These drugs work in more than one way to kill cancer cells. They are also called targeted therapy because they target specific changes or substances in cancer cells.

• Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances to block the action of specific enzymes, proteins, or other molecules involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells.

The use of immunotherapy has been increasing for CNS tumors. It is used commonly to treat aggressive tumors, such as glioblastoma; however, it is not standard treatment for CNS tumors.

Immunotherapy for treatment of CNS tumors is mostly used in clinical trials at this time.

Document immunotherapy details in NAACCR Item #2660: Text-BRM.

Hormones

Hormones are not a standard therapy for CNS tumors.

See Additional Resources for Central Nervous System Cancer Treatment

Updated: September 23, 2026