Records whether immunotherapeutic (biologic response modifiers) agents were administered as first-course treatment at all facilities or the reason they were not given. Immunotherapy consists of biological or chemical agents that alter the immune system or change the host’s response to tumor cells.
Systemic therapy may involve the administration of one or a combination of agents. This data item allows for the evaluation of the administration of immunotherapeutic agents as part of the first course of therapy.
Note: Prior to 2013, targeted therapies that invoke an immune response, such as Herceptin, had been coded as chemotherapy. Effective with cases diagnosed January 1, 2013, and forward these therapies are classified as biological response modifiers. Coding instructions for these changes have been added to the remarks field for the applicable drugs in the SEER*RX Interactive Drug Database (
http://seer.cancer.gov/tools/seerrx/).