OBJECTIVETo review hot issues and future direction of renal tumor biopsy (RTB) technique.

DATA SOURCESThe literature concerning or including RTB technique in English was collected from PubMed published from 1990 to 2015.

STUDY SELECTIONWe included all the relevant articles on RTB technique in English, with no limitation of study design.

RESULTSComputed tomography and ultrasound were usually used for guiding RTB with respective advantages. Core biopsy is more preferred over fine needle aspiration because of superior accuracy. A minimum of two good-quality cores for a single renal tumor is generally accepted. The use of coaxial guide is recommended. For biopsy location, sampling different regions including central and peripheral biopsies are recommended.

CONCLUSIONIn spite of some limitations, RTB technique is relatively mature to help optimize the treatment of renal tumors.