Records whether immunotherapeutic agents (biologic response modifiers) were administered as first-course treatment at this facility 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 immunotherapeutic agents given as part of the first course of therapy. Furthermore, it is useful to know the reason immunotherapy was not administered when evaluating quality of care.
If central registries wish to study the treatment given at particular facilities, the facility-level treatment fields must be used. The summary treatment fields, conversely, combine information for all facilities that provide first course of treatment for the tumor. Facility-specific fields allow studies of detailed referral patterns and treatment by type of healthcare setting. Knowing what part of the treatment was given at a particular facility also helps resolve consolidation issues.
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/).