HIM 239: Abstracting Methods for Oncology

Course Description

This course will utilize basic abstracting principles and methods of the cancer registry to thoroughly review and analyze electronic health records and other source documents. Students will examine cancer identification, patient identification, and facility information as it pertains to the sections of an abstract. In addition, this course will provide general instructions on cancer registries resources and manuals used to accurately apply coding guidelines with hands on experience abstracting major disease sites. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

BIO 212: Anatomy & Physiology
BIO 215: Pathophysiology
HCA 105: Medical Terminology
HIM 230: Introduction to Cancer Registry and Management
HIM 231: Cancer Registry Operations

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

Identify if a patient has single or multiple primary cancer sites.
Code, abstract and translate medical records into standardized codes specific to diagnosis and treatment information.
Construct a complete abstract for all major disease sites.
Create a glossary of cancer registry terminology.
Describe cancer identification, patient identification, facility information as it pertains to the sections of an abstract.
Summarize a cancer patient’s medical chart into text format.
Identify and code cancer identifying information such as primary site, histologies, TNM staging and first course treatment.
Explain how quality control edits are used to ensure the accuracy of data.
Discuss each of the following staging systems: TNM, Summary Stage, Site specific staging classifications, Site specific Data items (SSDI), EOD, Grading.
Use NCCN guidelines to identify expected standards of treatment care for each cancer site.
Navigate through cancer registry manuals widely used in the cancer registry management field.
Explain why data standards are important for reporting.

Course Activities and Grading

Note: A "C" grade or higher must be earned to pass this course.

Letter Grade	Percentage
A	93.0-100.0
A -	90.0-92.9
B+	87.0-89.9
B	83.0-86.9
B -	80.0-82.9
C +	77.0-79.9
C	73.0-76.9
F	72.99% and below

Assignments	Weight
Discussions (Weeks 1-8)	5%
SEER Educate (Weeks 1, 4, & 5 – 2 total)	15%
Quiz (Weeks 2 & 3)	5%
Pathology Paper (Week 3)	5%
Abstracting and Coding (Weeks 4 & 5)	10%
Site-Specific Surgery Codes (Week 4)	5%
AJCC Staging Case Scenarios (Weeks 4 & 5)	10%
Radiation Cases (Week 6)	5%
Text Documentation (Week 7)	10%
Final Exam – Part 1 (Week 8)	10%
Final Exam – Part 2: Breast, Colon, & Lymphoma (Week 8)	20%
Total	100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

National Cancer Registrars Association. Cancer Registry Management Principles and Practice for Hospitals and Central Registries. 4th ed. NCRA, 2021. ISBN-13: 9781732917835
Amin MB, Edge S, Greene F, Byrd DR, Brookland RK, Washington MK, Gershenwald JE, Compton CC, Hess KR, et al. (Eds.). AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. 8th ed. Springer International Publishing: American Joint Commission on Cancer; 2017. ISBN-13: 978-3-319-40617-6
- Note:These textbooks are used in most of the Cancer Registry Management courses and should be saved for preparation for the CTR exam.

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1,4,5,11	Topic: Cancer Registry Data Identification Read Chapter 6: Reportability and Casefinding in our CRM text. In the STORE Manual 2022 read each of the following headers Case Eligibility pg. 38-42 Patient Identification pg. 68-92; 102-103, 113-115 Note: Print Ambiguous Terminology List pg. 40	Review course syllabus Read assigned chapters Participate in discussions Submit Week 1 SEER Educate
2	1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12	Topic: What is Abstracting? Read the following chapters in our CRM text: Chapter 7: General Principles of Coding and Abstracting Chapter 8: ICD-O, Topography, Histology, Solid Tumor Rules Chapter 9: Cancer Staging, Grade and Site-Specific Data Items	Read assigned chapters Review lecture material Participate in discussions Submit Week 2 Quiz
3	4, 8, 9, 11, 12	Topics: Standards for Collecting and Reporting Cancer Information, Medical Records, and the Data Set Read Chapter 13: Data Standards and Standardization in our CRM text. In the STORE Manual 2022 read each of the following headers: Cancer Identification pg. 116-182 AJCC TNM Stage pg. 183-208 Date of First Course Treatment pg. 211-222, 233-258 Review Solid Tumor Rules 2023 for the following sites: Lung Breast Colon/Rectum Prostate Read How to Read Your Pathology Report. Read Anatomic Pathology. Read Cancer Protocols. Review Reading a Pathology Report. Review Where to Find Information to Abstract Various Data Items. View How to Read Your Pathology Report. View How to Read a Pathology Report.	Read assigned chapters Review assigned links Participate in discussions Submit Week 3 Quiz Submit Pathology Paper
4	2, 4, 5, 7, 9,11	Topic: Abstracting Top Disease Sites: Prostate, Breast, Lung, Colon & Rectum Read the following chapters in AJCC: Chapter 1: Principles of Cancer Staging Chapter 20: Colon and Rectum Chapter 36: Lung Chapter 48: Breast Chapter 58: Prostate Read Informational Abstracts for Prostate, Lung, Breast, Colon and Rectum.	Read assigned chapters Review assigned links Participate in discussions Submit Week 4 SEER Educate Submit Week 4 Abstracting and Coding Submit Week 4 Site-Specific Surgery Codes Submit Week 4 AJCC Staging Case Scenarios
5	1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11	Topic: Abstracting Top Disease Sites: Bladder, Kidney, Brain and Spinal Cord, Melanoma of the Skin Read the following chapters in AJCC: Chapter 47: Melanoma of the Skin Chapter 60: Kidney Chapter 62: Bladder Chapter 72: Brain and Spinal Cord Read Informational Abstracts for Bladder, Kidney, Brain and Spinal Cord, Melanoma of the Skin.	Read assigned chapters Review assigned links Participate in discussions Submit Week 5 SEER Educate (2 assignments) Submit Week 5 Abstracting and Coding Submit Week 5 AJCC Staging Case Scenarios
6	2, 4, 11	Topic: Understanding the Radiation Treatment Plan In the STORE Manual 2022 read each of the following: Appendix R pg. 254-321 The CTR Guide to Coding Radiation Therapy in Appendix R pg. 425-477 Read Missouri Cancer Registry and Research Center Show-Me-Tips Read Brachytherapy	Read assigned chapters Review lecture material Review assigned links Participate in discussions Submit Week 6 Radiation Cases
7	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11	Topics: Documenting Important Medical Data in the Cancer Abstract Read Washington State Cancer Registry Text Requirements Read "Appendix T - Text Documentation Guidelines" from California Registrar Resources and Reporting Read A Cancer Registrar’s Guide to Collecting Industry and Occupation Watch CTR Coding Break – Abstracting in Text	Review assigned links Participate in discussions Submit Week 7 Text Documentation
8	1-12	Topics: Case Finalization and Validation Read Chapter 14: Ensuring Data Quality in our CRM text. Read "Appendix T - Text Documentation Guidelines" from California Registrar Resources and Reporting Watch CTR Coding Break – Abstracting in Text	Read assigned chapters Review assigned links Participate in discussions Submit Week 8 Final Exam – Part 1 Submit Week 8 Final Exam – Part 2: Breast, Colon, & Lymphoma Complete Course Evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.