CTR Reporting Requirements & Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A hospital treats an out-of-state patient for a newly diagnosed colon cancer. For CoC accreditation purposes, how should this case be counted?
- It is not reportable because the patient does not reside in the state
- It is an analytic case and must be included in the registry (Correct answer)
- It is a non-analytic case only if the patient had prior treatment elsewhere
- It is counted only for the state where the patient resides
Correct answer: It is an analytic case and must be included in the registry
A patient who receives their first course of treatment at a CoC-accredited facility is an analytic case regardless of state of residence.
Question 2: Under SEER reporting requirements, what is the maximum allowable reporting lag for submitting newly diagnosed cases to the state central registry?
- 6 months from diagnosis
- 1 year from diagnosis (Correct answer)
- 18 months from diagnosis
- 2 years from diagnosis
Correct answer: 1 year from diagnosis
SEER requires that cases be submitted to the central registry within 6 months, but the standard target for most programs is within 1 year from diagnosis.
Question 3: Which NAACCR item captures whether a cancer case was identified from the death certificate only (DCO)?
- Type of Reporting Source (Correct answer)
- Basis of Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Confirmation
- Source of Case Report
Correct answer: Type of Reporting Source
NAACCR Item #380, 'Type of Reporting Source,' includes a DCO code when the death certificate is the only source of cancer information.
Question 4: A state central registry receives a death certificate listing 'carcinoma of the lung' as cause of death with no prior case record. The standard procedure is to:
- Discard it because no hospital record exists
- Add it as a DCO case and attempt follow-back to find the treating facility (Correct answer)
- Automatically code it as a non-analytic case
- Report it immediately to CDC without further investigation
Correct answer: Add it as a DCO case and attempt follow-back to find the treating facility
DCO cases undergo death certificate follow-back to locate treating facilities and obtain clinical details to complete the record.
Question 5: The STORE (Standards for Oncology Registry Entry) manual is updated and published by which organization?
- NAACCR
- SEER
- Commission on Cancer (CoC) (Correct answer)
- American Cancer Society
Correct answer: Commission on Cancer (CoC)
The CoC publishes the STORE manual, which guides data collection standards for CoC-accredited hospital cancer programs.
Question 6: When must a cancer registry report a case of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin?
- Always, because all skin cancers are reportable
- Never, because BCC of the skin is excluded from most registry requirements (Correct answer)
- Only when BCC metastasizes to lymph nodes
- Only when BCC occurs in patients over age 65
Correct answer: Never, because BCC of the skin is excluded from most registry requirements
Basal cell carcinoma of the skin is universally excluded from standard cancer registry reporting requirements.
Question 7: Which data item in the NAACCR layout is used to distinguish a hospital registry's primary patient from a case referred solely for a second opinion?
- Class of Case (Correct answer)
- Type of Reporting Source
- Sequence Number
- Stage of Disease at Diagnosis
Correct answer: Class of Case
Class of Case differentiates analytic cases (treated at the facility) from non-analytic cases such as second-opinion-only encounters.
CTR Reporting Requirements & Standards 3
A hospital treats an out-of-state patient for a newly diagnosed colon cancer.
For CoC accreditation purposes, how should this case be counted?