A needle 10 for a surgical instrument for removal of diseased or unwanted 5 tissue is described. The needle 10 has a hollow elongate needle shaft 12 with a needle tip 14 at a distal end for cutting tissue. The needle tip 14 is flared in at least one plane and has a plurality of grooves 16 milled into a surface of the tip in an asymmetric arrangement around the circumference of the needle tip 14.