An electrosurgical apparatus and method for cutting and resecting a tissue volume is described. The apparatus includes one or more electrosurgical filaments and capture components deployable by forward extension at or near a forward tip of an elongated shaft of the apparatus to form an elliptical path that defines, with the other capture components, a spheroidal receptacle configured to surround a tissue volume for resection. The elliptical path is formable by a first extension followed by a second extension, said first extension having a first axial component and a radial expansion component, and said second extension having a second axial component and a radial contraction component, where at least one of the capture components is of varying stiffness.
