Renal cell carcinoma needle biopsy: Sowing the seed for later complications?

Abstract

Pathological examination of a radical nephrectomy for papillary renal cell carcinoma showed tumour present within the perinephric fat, with a morphology indicative of iatrogenic tumour cell tracking caused by previous biopsy of the mass. This is a rare complication of percutaneous biopsy, and as this procedure is becoming more common in investigating renal masses, it is important that the professionals are aware of the potential risks posed by renal mass biopsy.

Renal Mass Biopsy is Associated with Reduction in Surgery for Early-Stage Kidney Cancer

“…17 Some cases of tumor upstaging after renal mass biopsy have been determined to be due to perinephric fat seeding from renal mass biopsy; these cases may not be differentiated from true perinephric fat invasion by a pathologist reviewing the surgical specimen. 18 We observed an increase in pT3a upstaging that was notable, but relatively small (»2%), among patients receiving renal mass biopsy. It remains uncertain whether this is a result of selection or if prognosis is at all impacted by perinephric fat seeding relative to true perinephric fat invasion.…”

Needle track seeding in renal mass biopsies

“…Needle track seeding by tumor cells in renal mass biopsy is a complication that has been reported 4 times in the past (prior to 1992) when larger (up to 14‐gauge) needles often were used, but had become vanishingly rare. However, a total of 12 additional cases of needle track seeding have been reported with core needle biopsy since 2013, predominantly from Europe . The incidence is not well characterized, but in 1 large meta‐analysis there was 1 case reported in nearly 3000 patients .…”

Diagnosis of Urological Cancer by 1H NMR Based Metabonomics Urinalysis: A Pilot Study

“…These cancers have aggressive treatments and are related to a significant loss of quality of life of patients. The diagnosis of each of these diseases is conducted, in most cases invasively, and each procedure includes complications [2][3][4][5][6][7].…”