Context: While biopsies are now increasingly being performed for the diagnosis of renal cortical neoplasms, the influence of the rendered pathological diagnoses on the clinical management is only rarely documented.
Objectives: To report our experience with consecutively performed renal biopsies and the potential impact of the diagnosis on subsequent clinical management.
Design: Material from needle biopsies performed consecutively at our institution between 2006 and 2011 was reviewed. The influence of the reported pathology results on the clinical management was determined from patient follow-up medical record review.
Results: In total, 218 percutaneous biopsies for renal masses were performed during this period. Among them, 181 (83%) yielded neoplastic tissue, including 81 clear cell renal cell carcinomas, 29 low-grade oncocytic neoplasms, 7 papillary renal cell carcinomas, 5 clear cell papillary renal cell carcinomas, 5 angiomyolipomas, and 14 urothelial carcinomas. Fourteen additional cases (6%) contained lesional material from clinically known nonneoplastic processes, for a total diagnostic yield of 89%. Twenty-three (11%) were nonrepresentative of lesional tissue. In 10 of these, repeat biopsies or resections established the diagnosis of renal tumors. Biopsy diagnosis was confirmed in 29 of 30 cases (97%) on subsequent nephrectomy. Following the biopsy diagnosis, there were significant differences in the clinical management; overall, 79% of clear cell renal cell carcinomas received therapeutic interventions, and 17% were put on active surveillance. In contrast, 77% of the benign or low-grade lesions were put on active surveillance.
Conclusions: Accurate and specific diagnosis can be rendered on renal core biopsy in most renal tumors, and the biopsy diagnosis can have a definitive role in their clinical management.