Renal Tumor Biopsy Technique

OBJECTIVE: To review hot issues and future direction of renal tumor biopsy (RTB) technique. DATA SOURCES: The literature concerning or including RTB technique in English was collected from PubMed published from 1990 to 2015. STUDY SELECTION: We included all the relevant articles on RTB technique in English, with no limitation of study design. RESULTS: Computed tomography and ultrasound were usually used for guiding RTB with respective advantages. Core biopsy is more preferred over fine needle aspiration because of superior accuracy. A minimum of two good-quality cores for a single renal tumor is generally accepted. The use of coaxial guide is recommended. For biopsy location, sampling different regions including central and peripheral biopsies are recommended. CONCLUSION: In spite of some limitations, RTB technique is relatively mature to help optimize the treatment of renal tumors.