Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Once used primarily in the identification of renal metastasis and lymphomas, various urological bodies are now adopting an expanded role for the renal biopsy. We sought to evaluate the role of the renal biopsy in a Canadian context, focusing on associated adverse events, radiographic burden, and diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: This retrospective review incorporated all patients undergoing ultrasound (US)/computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsies for T1 and T2 renal masses. There were no age or lesion size limitations. The primary outcome of interest was the correlation between initial biopsy and final surgical pathology. A binomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine any confounding factors. Secondary outcomes included the accuracy of tumour cell typing, grading, the safety profile, and radiographic burden associated with these patients. RESULTS: A total of 148 patients satisfied inclusion criteria for this study. Mean age and lesions size at detection were 60.9 years (±12.4) and 3.6 cm (±2.0), respectively. Most renal masses were identified with US (52.7%) or CT (44.6%). Three patients (2.0%) experienced adverse events of note. Eighty-six patients (58.1%) proceeded to radical/partial nephrectomy. Our biopsies held a diagnostic accuracy of 90.7% (sensitivity 96.2%, specificity 87.5%, positive predictive value 98.7%, negative predictive value 70.0%, kappa 0.752, p<0.0005). Binomial logistic regression revealed that age, lesion size, number of radiographic tests, time to biopsy, and modality of biopsy (US/CT) had no influence on the diagnostic accuracy of biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Renal biopsies are safe, feasible, and diagnostic. Their role should be expanded in the routine evaluation of T1 and T2 renal masses.