Organization

Field Name

ID

Required

KCR

Other Therapy Code (OtherTxCode)

50230

yes

NAACCR

RX Summ--Other

1420

yes


Field Length: 1

These codes are available for any 'other' treatment received by the patient-- other than surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, transplants or endocrine procedures.

Code 0 indicates nonsurgical types of non-definitive treatment. These are optional and do not have to be recorded. Ancillary drugs such as allopurinol, growth stimulating factors (i.e., Neupogen and Epogen) and antibiotics for MALT lymphoma are examples of non-definitive therapy.

Code

Label

Description

0

Non- cancer directed treatment

OPTIONAL CODE - may be used to record ancillary drugs, supportive care, stent placement, etc.

1

Other treatment

Cancer treatment that cannot be appropriately assigned to specified treatment data items (surgery, radiation, systemic). Examples include treatment unique to hematopoietic diseases (see Notes below),  tumor embolization which does not involve a chemotherapy or radiotherapy agent (i.e., when alcohol is used as the embolizing agent in head and neck cancers), photophoresis for thin melanomas or for mycosis fungoides, and PUVA (psoralen and long-wave ultraviolet radiation). 

2

Other - Experimental  

This code is not defined. It may be used to record participation in institution-based clinical trials. Gene therapy is coded 2.

3

Other - Double Blind  

A patient is involved in a double-blind clinical trial. Code the treatment actually administered when the double-blind trial code is broken.

6

Other - Unproven

Unconventional therapies; alternative and complementary therapies (see below).

Treatment for certain reportable hematopoietic diseases can be supportive care that does not meet the usual definition of treatment which "modifies, controls, removes, or destroys proliferating cancer tissue." Such treatments include phlebotomy, transfusions, and aspirin (see Notes below), and should be coded 1.

Notes for Hematopoietic diseases:

  • The hematopoietic diseases for which transfusions may be coded as other therapy are comprised of the following histologies ONLY:  9945, 9980, 9982-9986, and 9989.   Do not code transfusions as therapy for leukemias, lymphomas, or other hematopoietic histologies not on the previous list.  Transfusions may include whole blood, RBCs, platelets, plateletpheresis, fresh frozen plasma (FFP), plasmapheresis, and cryoprecipitate.

  • Phlebotomy may be coded as other therapy only for 9950/3, polycythemia vera.  Phlebotomy may be called blood removal, blood letting, or venisection.

  • Aspirin (also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), or by a brand name) is coded as other therapy for 9962/3, essential thrombocythemia. Record aspirin therapy ONLY if given to thin the blood for symptomatic control of thrombocythemia. To determine whether aspirin is administered for pain, cardiovascular protection, or thinning of platelets in the blood, use the following general guideline:

-Pain control is approximately 325-1000 mg every 3-4 hours.

-Cardiovascular protection starts at about 160 mg/day.

-Aspirin treatment for essential thrombocythemia is low dose, approximately 70-100 mg/day.

Use code 3 - Double blind for clinical trial before the code is broken. After the code is broken, review and re-code therapy as needed, according to the treatment actually administered.

Use code 6 - Unproven therapy - for unconventional methods whether they are given alone or in combination with other cancer directed treatments.

Unconventional treatment agents are:

Cancell, Carnivora, Glyoxylide, Iscador, Koch synthetic antitoxins, Krebiozen, Laetrile, Malonide, Parabenzoquinone

Use code 6 - Unproven therapy - for alternative and complementary therapies ONLY if they are NOT given in combination with other cancer directed treatments.

Alternative & Complementary Therapies are:

  • Alternative Systems
  • Acupuncture
  • Ayurveda
  • Environmental medicine
  • Homeopathic medicine
  • Natural Products
  • Native American, Latin American, or traditonal Oriental medicine
  • Bioelectromagnetic Applications
  • Blue light treatment
  • Electroacupuncture
  • Magnetoresonance spectroscopy
  • Diet, Nutrition, Lifestyle
  • Changes in lifestyle
  • Diet
  • Gerson Therapy
  • Macrobiotics
  • Megavitamins
  • Nutritional Supplements
  • Herbal Medicine
  • Ginger
  • Ginkgo Biloba extract
  • Ginseng root
  • Manual Healing
  • Acupressure
  • Biofield Therapeutics
  • Massage therapy
  • Reflexology
  • Zone therapy
  • Mind/Body Control
  • Biofeedback
  • Humor therapy
  • Meditation
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Yoga
  • Pharmacological and Biological Treatments
  • Anti-oxidizing agents
  • Cell treatment
  • Metabolic therapy
  • Oxidizing agents