An endoscopic tissue-sampling needle includes an elongate needle shaft having a proximal and a distal shaft portion. The proximal shaft portion includes an inner tubular core that may be constructed of a same material as the distal shaft potion, having a longer length and a smaller outer diameter than the distal shaft portion. The distal shaft portion extends into and is fixedly attached to an inner diameter of a distal shaft portion lumen. The distal shaft portion lumen is configured for collection of patient tissue, with a distal penetrating tip and/or a side aperture with a cutting edge configured to excise tissue from a target site in a patient body. The proximal shaft portion includes polymer coating around the inner tubular core, which is configured to provide an outer diameter for the proximal shaft portion that may be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the distal shaft portion.
