SEER Training Modules
11/27/12 - The NCI is working on updating materials.
Summary Staging Manual 2000
A Manual with Rules, Definitions, and Standard NAACCR Codes
PDF of the SEER Summary Staging Manual 2000.
Whether you refer to it as SS2000, SS2K, SSSM2K, or any other combination, the SEER Summary Staging Manual 2000 (SSSM2K) is currently available.
The SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 is a true manual (rather than just a "guide" like the old Summary Staging Guide - 1977). The SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 contains instructions, definitions, and detailed descriptions. The manual also contains the actual standard NAACCR stage codes.
ICD-O-3 Site Codes
The SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 contains the site codes that are listed in ICD-O-3. This should help in locating the correct scheme within the manual. For example, to stage a carcinoma of the nasopharynx , NOS (site code = C11.9 in ICD-O-3), simply look up the site code (C11.9) in ICD-O-3 and then use that site code to find the scheme directly in the SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000. Of course, users could also choose to use the Table Of Contents in the front of the SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000.
A Scheme for Every Primary Site
Every primary site now has a scheme in SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000. This alone is a MAJOR improvement over the old SSG77. It was often frustrating, not to mention difficult, to stage a cancer case arising in a primary site for which there was no scheme in SSG77. Users should have used the "nonspecific staging scheme" found on page 2 of the SSG77 - however, it is well known that this was not a routine and uniform practice. Those days are behind us now because each and every primary site has a scheme in the SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000.
European Eponymic Standard
The word 'eponym' means 'to name upon.' So, for instance, Dr. Ewing was the first person to describe the bone tumor that is now known as "Ewing's sarcoma" - that "Ewing's sarcoma" is an eponymic term. It is literally 'named upon Dr. Ewing.' The same holds true for Paget's disease, Waldeyer's ring, Hodkin's lymphoma, etc. The European standard for eponyms (the 'European Eponymic Standard') is to drop the apostrophe 's' ('s). Since the international ICD-O-3 committee decided to adopt the European Eponymic Standard, the sites (and morphologies) listed in ICD-O-3 do not include the apostrophe 's' if they are eponymic terms. The same European Eponymic Standard was adopted in the SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000.
Detailed Instructions and Illustrations
Again, another major enhancement to the manual is the inclusion of detailed instructions. Further, detailed pertinent anatomical illustrations have also been included. Both the detailed instructions and the detailed pertinent illustrations should make summary staging an easier and more pleasant experience.
The "Time Rule"
There is a "time rule" to be used when staging with the SEER Summary Staging Manual 2000.
The "time rule" is:
Summary stage should include all information available through completion of surgery(ies) in the first course of treatment or within four months of diagnosis in the absence of disease progression, whichever is longer.
Note that the "time rule" is really a "time and information" rule rather than just a "time" rule, per se.
This "time rule" differs from the "two month rule" used in SSG77. This change alone will not allow time trend analyses on stage prior to 2001 diagnoses and those diagnosed on or after January 1, 2001.
For Use Starting with 2001 Diagnoses
It should be noted that the SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 is for use with cancer cases diagnosed on January 1, 2001 and forward. The SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 carries the "2000" in its name because the manual was largely created in the year 2000. Do not use the SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 to stage cases unless they were diagnosed on, or after, January 1, 2001.
