Current guidelines do not mandate routine preoperative renal mass biopsy (RMB) for small renal masses (SRMs), which results in a considerable rate (18%-26%) of needless nephrectomy/partial nephrectomy for benign renal tumors.
In light of this ongoing practice, a narrative review was conducted to examine the role of routine RMB for SRM. First, arguments justifying the current non-biopsy approach to SRM are critically reviewed and contested. Second, as a standalone procedure, RMB is critically assessed; RMB was found to have higher sensitivity, specificity, and an equal or lower complication rate when compared with other commonly preoperatively biopsied solid organ tumors (e.g., breast, prostate, lung, pancreas, thyroid, and liver). Based on the foregoing information, we propose a paradigm shift in SRM management, advocating for an updated policy in which partial nephrectomy or nephrectomy for SRM invariably occurs only after a preoperative biopsy confirms that a SRM is indeed malignant.
Urologic oncology. 2024 Apr 19 [Epub ahead of print]
Bruce Gao, Antonio R H Gorgen, Rohit Bhatt, Zachary E Tano, Kalon L Morgan, Kelvin Vo, Sina Soltanzadeh Zarandi, Sohrab N Ali, Pengbo Jiang, Roshan M Patel, Ralph V Clayman, Jaime Landman
Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA. Electronic address: ., Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA.
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38643022