A surgical, tissue removal system for removing a target tissue of a subject, the system comprising a cutting head (400) having an outer perimeter (405) that circumscribes a lumen (410) through the cutting head (400), the lumen (410) having a central axis (415)； and, a backward cutting blade (531) configured as a talon for cutting tissue in a backward stroke of the cutting head (400) and to hook tissue for removal, the backward cutting blade is positioned on the guard for cutting the target tissue in the backward stroke of the cutting head, the guard having a blade tip point back into the lumen at an angle, ¸ 2 , of greater than 90° to trap and/or cut tissue in the lumen in the backwards stroke of the cutting head.
