Pathology Report
See the current version of the SEER Program Coding Manual under Reporting Guidelines 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
Pathology reports 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 Reporting Guidelines, Section IV: Description of this Neoplasm |
| Primary Site | There is one primary site for Prostate. C619 | #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 Reporting Guidelines, Other Sites |
| 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 Reporting Guidelines, Other Sites |
| Laterality | Code laterality 0 for all prostate cases. Prostate is not a paired site even though it has left and right lobes. | #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER Program Coding Manual, under Reporting Guidelines, Section IV: Description of this Neoplasm |
| Regional Nodes Positive | Records the number regional lymph nodes found to contain metastasis. | #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER Program Coding Manual, under Reporting Guidelines, Section VII: First Course of Therapy |
| Regional Nodes Examined | Records the number of regional lymph nodes that were removed and examined. | #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER Program Coding Manual, under Reporting Guidelines, Section VII: First Course of Therapy |
| Grade | See Grade. | #2570 Text-Dx-Proc-Path | SEER*RSA, Prostate schema OR Schemas | SSDI Data | (naaccr.org)  , Prostate |
Updated: June 15, 2026
Suggested Citation
SEER Training Modules: Pathology Report. U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Cited 17 June 2026. Available from: https://training.seer.cancer.gov.