October 19, 2026
Tumor Tip of the Week 10-16-2026 No Treatment Doesn’t Always Mean No Date
10-16-2026 No Treatment Doesn’t Always Mean No Date
One of the most common errors occurs when abstractors make is leaving Date of First Course Treatment field BLANK when the patient does not have any treatment record, then they also assume that Date of First Course Treatment (CoC) and Date Therapy Initiated (SEER) should always be coded the same way. Although the fields sound similar, they have different instructions and different purposes. Always follow the instructions for the specific field being coded and the manual governing that field.
| Rx Summ – Treatment Status NAACCR Item# 1285 | Scenario | Date of First Course Treatment (CoC) NAACCR Item#1270 | Date Therapy Initiated (SEER) NAACCR Item#1260 [This field may not be displayed in your registry software. Check with your vendor to determine how the item is captured and exported for SEER submissions.] |
| 2 Active Surveillance/ Watchful Waiting | 10-12-2026: 93-year-old female presents with DCIS and significant comorbidities 10/16/2026: Physician and patient agree to pursue observation ONLY. | 10-16-2026 STORE: Record the date the decision for active surveillance/watchful waiting was made. | 10-16-2026 SEER: Record the date the decision for active surveillance was made. |
| 0 No Treatment Given | 10/12/2026: Physician discusses treatment options including radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hospice. 10/16/2026: Patient and family elect hospice care only and decline cancer-directed treatment. | 10-16-2026 STORE: Record the date the decision was made not to treat. | BLANK SEER: Leave the field blank when no first-course treatment is given. |
Takeaway:
| Field | Active Surveillance | No Treatment |
| Rx Summ-Treatment Status | 2 | 0 |
| Date of First Course Treatment (CoC) | Decision Date | Decision Date |
| Date Therapy Initiated (SEER) | Decision Date | Blank |
Code each item according to its own manual instructions and stop leaving fields blank when the manual instructs you to record a date.
