Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Should you have a genetic test for cancer? | CION Cancer Clinics
Most people do not need a genetic test for cancer. It is worth doing when your own cancer, or the pattern in your family, points to an inherited fault, or when a relative has already tested positive. This page sets out the signs that make a test worth asking about, what a result can and cannot give you, and how to start without paying for the wrong test. At CION Cancer Clinics in Hyderabad, our oncologists review your family history with you and guide you to the right genetic counselling and testing.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Do you actually need a genetic test for cancer?
- Which signs suggest a test is worth asking about?
- How do you get from a question to a result?
- The terms used, in plain language
- What a test can give you, and what it can cost you
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- Common questions about whether to get tested
The short answer
Do you actually need a genetic test for cancer?
Most people do not. A genetic test is worth doing when your own cancer, or the pattern of cancer in your family, suggests an inherited fault is likely. It is also worth doing when a fault has already been found in a relative. Outside those situations, a test rarely changes anything and can create worry it cannot settle.
When a test is usually worth it
When you already have a cancer type or an age of diagnosis that is linked to inherited faults. When several close relatives on one side had related cancers, especially young. When a relative has tested positive and you could have inherited the same fault.
When it usually is not
When one relative was diagnosed at an older age with a common cancer, and nobody else was affected. When you are worried but well, and no one in the family has cancer that fits a pattern. In these cases, ordinary screening for your age does more good than a test.
Why a test is not automatically a good idea
A result can be uncertain. It can raise insurance questions in India, where no dedicated law protects genetic information. It can also tell your relatives something about themselves before they asked. Counselling before the test exists to weigh these up with you.
What points towards a test
Which signs suggest a test is worth asking about?
You do not need all of these. One clear sign is enough to raise the question with a doctor.
Your own cancer
Some diagnoses qualify for testing on their own, whatever the family history.
- Ovarian or pancreatic cancer at any age
- Breast cancer at a young age, or triple negative
- Breast cancer in a man
- Prostate cancer that has spread
A family pattern
Several close relatives on the same side with related cancers.
- Breast, ovarian, prostate or pancreatic cancer together
- Bowel and womb cancer together
- Diagnoses at unusually young ages
A fault already found
If a parent, brother, sister or cousin has a known fault, you can be tested for that exact fault. This is the clearest reason of all, and the test is simpler than a first test in the family.
Two cancers in one person
Someone who has had two separate cancers, such as breast and ovarian, or cancer in both breasts, is more likely to carry an inherited fault.
The counsellor looks at the whole family, not a single sign in isolation.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistFrom worry to answer
How do you get from a question to a result?
Write down the family history
Every relative on both sides who had cancer, what kind, and roughly how old they were. Include people who died, and men as well as women.
Ask your oncologist or doctor
Show them the list and ask whether you meet the criteria. If you do, they refer you to a genetic counsellor or arrange testing with counselling built in.
Counselling before the test
The counsellor draws a family tree and explains what the test can find and what it cannot. They cover cost, insurance and what a result would mean for relatives.
Test the right person first
Usually the relative who already has cancer is tested first. If a fault is found, others can be tested for it. If you are the one with cancer, you are that person.
The result, in a second conversation
Results come back to the person who ordered them and are explained face to face. If a fault is found, you receive a letter your relatives can use.
Words you will hear
The terms used, in plain language
- Genetic counsellor
- A trained professional who explains inherited risk, arranges the right test and explains the result. They do not decide for you.
- Germline test
- A blood or saliva test of the genes you were born with. It is different from testing a tumour, which looks only at the cancer.
- Panel test
- A test that reads several genes at once. The counsellor chooses a panel that fits the cancers in your family.
- Cascade testing
- Testing relatives, one step at a time, for a fault already found in the family.
- Variant of uncertain significance
- A change the laboratory cannot yet call harmful or harmless. Often shortened to VUS. It should not change your care.
- Pre-test counselling
- The conversation before the sample is taken, where you decide whether you want the test at all.
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Side by side
What a test can give you, and what it can cost you
What it can give you
What it can cost you
Earlier or extra checks that find cancer sooner
Worry, even when the result is reassuring
Treatment options that depend on the result
An uncertain result that answers nothing yet
A clear answer for relatives who test negative
Insurance questions, with no Indian law settling them
Information for family planning decisions
The cost of the test and the counselling
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot decide for you. Two families that look similar on paper can reach different decisions, and both can be right. A genetic counsellor can look at your actual family tree and tell you whether a test is likely to help, which one, and who should have it first.
It cannot read a result you already have
What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. Please do not search for a gene name and draw conclusions from what you find online.
It does not cover tumour testing
Testing a tumour to choose treatment is a separate test. That is explained on our targeted therapy pages.
Who this does not apply to
If you are well and nobody in your family has a cancer pattern that fits, you almost certainly do not need a genetic test. Screening for your age, stopping tobacco and seeing a doctor for new symptoms will do far more for you.
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"Everyone should get tested, just to be safe."
For most people, a test finds nothing useful and can turn up uncertain results that cause needless worry. Testing works best when something in the family points towards it.
"A negative result means I will not get cancer."
It means you did not inherit the fault that was looked for. You still carry the ordinary risk everyone has, so routine screening for your age still matters.
"If I test positive, I will have to have surgery."
Nobody has to do anything. A positive result opens options, most often closer checks. Preventive surgery is one choice among several, and many carriers never take it.
"The healthy relatives should be tested first."
The clearest answer comes from testing the relative who has had cancer. If they carry no fault, testing well relatives usually adds little.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about whether to get tested
Can I just order a genetic test myself?
Some laboratories sell tests directly, but testing without counselling often means the wrong test, the wrong person tested, or a result nobody explains. It is safer to go through a doctor or counsellor who can choose the test and read the result with you.
I have no cancer. Should I be tested?
Only if a fault is already known in your family, or the family pattern is strong and no affected relative can be tested. Otherwise, a test is unlikely to help. A counsellor can tell you which situation you are in.
I have cancer. Should I be tested?
It depends on the type of cancer, your age at diagnosis and your family history. For some cancers, such as ovarian cancer, testing is offered to nearly everyone. Ask your oncologist directly whether you meet the criteria.
Will the result change my treatment?
Sometimes. For some cancers, an inherited fault opens specific treatments or changes the type of surgery offered. For others, it mainly affects future checks and your family. Your oncologist will tell you whether it matters for your plan.
What if my result is unclear?
An uncertain result is common and should not change your care. Decisions are made on your family history instead. Laboratories review these results as evidence grows, so ask how you will be told if yours is ever reclassified.
Will a result affect my insurance?
India has no dedicated law on genetic information and insurance. It is a fair question to raise with your counsellor before testing, not afterwards. Some people arrange cover before they test for this reason.
Do I have to tell my relatives?
No one can force you, but a positive result matters to them. Counsellors give you a letter to share, and help you think about how to tell people. Some families find it easier to have the counsellor explain it.
Where do I start?
Write down who in your family had cancer, what kind and at roughly what age, on both sides. Take it to your oncologist or a genetic counsellor. Call the CION helpline if you are not sure who to see, and someone will point you in the right direction.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- NHS — Predictive genetic tests for cancer risk genes
- Cancer Research UK — Inherited cancer genes and increased cancer risk
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What are the risks and limitations of genetic testing?
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Red flags in a family historyThe specific patterns that point to an inherited faultWho does not need genetic testingThe reassuring side, set out plainlyTesting an affected relative firstWhy the order of testing changes the answerQuestions to ask before agreeing to a testWhat to settle before the sample is taken
Talk to us
Not sure whether a genetic test makes sense for you?
Tell us who in your family was diagnosed and at what age. We will tell you honestly whether a genetic referral is worth making, and arrange it if it is. One helpline serves every CION centre.