Neoplastic cell seeding due to needle tumor manipulation during renal mass biopsy (RMB) or thermal ablative treatment is a rare but potentially serious event that can turn an organ-confined and curable tumor in a nonorgan-confined and non-curable disease. Despite the widespread use of percutaneous thermal ablative treatment for small renal masses (SRMs), this complication has been described in few case reports and small case series and has never been reported after ablative treatment alone. We report a series of two patients that underwent cryoablation for SRMs and developed recurrence along the needle tract. Available knowledge on the controversial topic of tumor seeding following needle manipulation are poor. So far, reporting cases of tumor cell seeding due to needle manipulation is useful to permit a better understanding of this complication.
Scandinavian journal of urology. 2020 Mar 10 [Epub ahead of print]
Michele Rizzo, Paolo Cabas, Nicola Pavan, Paolo Umari, Enrica Verzotti, Matteo Boltri, Fulvio Stacul, Michele Bertolotto, Giovanni Liguori, Carlo Trombetta
Department of Urology, University of Trieste, Cattinara Hospital, Trieste, Italy., Division of Urology, Maggiore della Carita' Hospital, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy., Department of Radiology, University of Trieste, Cattinara Hospital, Trieste, Italy.