SynthesisThe British journal of radiology2018
Diagnostic accuracy of image-guided biopsies in small (<4 cm) renal masses with implications for active surveillance: a systematic review of the evidence.
Synthesis in The British journal of radiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Identifying the unmet supportive care needs of people affected by kidney cancer: a systematic review.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2022Pooled it
- Current controversies with active surveillance management of small renal masses.Mini-invasive surgery · 2026Article
- Ultrasound-guided percutaneous core biopsy of renal sinus masses: diagnostic yield, safety, and clinical impact.Cancer imaging : the official publication of the International Cancer Imaging Society · 2025Article
- [Small renal mass: which criteria are decisive for a tumor board?]Urologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2024Review
- Article
- MRI-guided thoraco-abdominal percutaneous needle biopsy: our initial experience.European radiology · 2023Article
- Small Renal Masses without Gross Fat: What Is the Role of Contrast-Enhanced MDCT?Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Diagnostic accuracy and safety of percutaneous MRI-guided biopsy of solid renal masses: single-center results after 4.5 years.European radiology · 2021Article
- Is percutaneous image-guided renal tumour ablation ready for prime time?The British journal of radiology · 2020Review
- Active surveillance of small renal masses.Insights into imaging · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objective: To determine the safety and diagnostic accuracy of renal tumour biopsies in a defined population of small renal masses (SRMs) only <4 cm using 3 × 2 table, intention to diagnose approach. 3 × 2 table approach examines indeterminate results as a separate category rather than pushing these through traditional 2 × 2 table (four-cell matrix) approach.
methods: A highly sensitive search was performed in the Cochrane Library, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects; MEDLINE and MEDLINE in Process, EMBASE and conference proceedings (1966-2016) for the acquisition of data on the diagnostic accuracy and complications of RTB in patients with SRM <4 cm. Methodological quality and risk of bias was assessed using QUADAS-2. Test characteristics were calculated using conventional 2 × 2 contingency table analysis excluding non-diagnostic biopsies, and an intention-to-diagnose approach with a 3 × 2 table for pooled estimates of the sensitivity and specificity.
results: A total of 20 studies were included with a total sample size of 974. The pooled estimates for sensitivity and specificity of RTB based upon univariate analysis using 2 × 2 table observed sensitivity 0.952 [confidence interval (CI) 0.908-0.979] and specificity 0.824 (CI 0.566-0.962). Using the 3 × 2 table and intention-to-diagnose principle, sensitivity 0.947 (CI 0.925-0.965) and specificity 0.609 (CI 0.385-0.803) decreased.
conclusion: RTB in SRMs (<4 cm) is associated with a high diagnostic sensitivity but poor specificity when non-diagnostic results are included by a 3 × 2 table for analysis (intention to diagnose approach). Risk of non-diagnostic results and poor quality of research need addressing through future studies, preferably by a well-designed prospective study appropriately powered for diagnostic accuracy using valid reference standards. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE:: A comprehensive synthesis of literature on image-guided biopsies in SRMs using a different methodology and study design.
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