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This study looks at how how the biopsy of small masses found in the kidney (small renal masses) affects how patients are managed, especially the use of active surveillance, partial and radical nephrectomy (surgery to remove part of the kidney or the entire kidney).
Data from 4,062 patients from a kidney cancer registry in America were used. Of these patients, nearly 1 in 5 (20%) had a biopsy of their kidney tumour.
Active surveillance was chosen by nearly 9 in 10 patients (88%) with benign (non-cancerous) biopsy findings, two thirds (68%) with indeterminate (cancer could not be diagnosed) findings, and just over a quarter (27%) of patients with malignant (cancerous) biopsy findings.
More patients were found to have benign (non-cancerous) tumours after surgery if they didn’t have a biopsy before surgery.
The treatment of patients with small renal masses was different if they had a biopsy compared to those patients who didn’t have a biopsy. Treatment was based on the results of the biopsy. The patients who were found to have benign disease from the biopsy had less surgery and for every 7 biopsies performed, one radical nephrectomy (where the kidney is surgically removed) was avoided.
