Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
RB1 testing cost in Hyderabad, and what drives it | CION Cancer Clinics
An RB1 test costs most for the first person in a family, usually the child or adult who had retinoblastoma, and far less for each relative after that. The first test reads the whole gene and checks for missing pieces. This page sets out indicative ranges in Hyderabad, what moves the price, and why the eye checks that follow often cost more than the test. At CION Cancer Clinics, our oncologists explain what a gene result means for you and your family, and plan the checks that follow.
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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
- How much does an RB1 test cost in Hyderabad?
- What do the main RB1 tests usually cost?
- What makes one RB1 test cost more than another?
- How can a family keep the cost down without cutting corners?
- Blood test alone, or blood and tumour: which one fits?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things families tell us about the cost, and what is true
- Common questions about the cost of RB1 testing
The short answer
How much does an RB1 test cost in Hyderabad?
A first RB1 test in Hyderabad usually costs several thousand rupees, and testing a relative for a known family fault costs much less. The first test is done on the person who had retinoblastoma. Testing a stored tumour sample, where one exists, is priced separately by the laboratory that holds it.
Why the first test costs the most
Nobody yet knows where the family's fault sits, so the laboratory reads the whole gene letter by letter and checks for large missing pieces. Some laboratories also look at a chemical switch that can silence the gene. Once the change is found, every relative is tested for that one change only, which is far quicker and cheaper.
Why the result can save money
For a baby brother or sister, a negative test can end years of eye examinations under anaesthesia. A positive test makes sure no check is missed. Few genetic tests change a child's care, and the family's spending, as directly as this one. That is worth remembering when the first figure looks high.
Ask for the counselling fee and the test fee separately, in writing, before you agree to anything.Indicative cost
What do the main RB1 tests usually cost?
These are broad ranges seen across laboratories, not quotes. Your own figure depends on the lab, the test ordered and your cover.
₹8,000 – ₹20,000
RB1 for the first person
The whole gene read from a blood sample, including checks for missing or doubled pieces.
Quoted separately
Testing the tumour itself
Where an eye was removed, the stored tumour can be tested. Priced by the laboratory holding the tissue.
₹3,000 – ₹8,000
Testing a relative for the known fault
Looks for the family's one change only, so it costs far less per person.
₹1,000 – ₹5,000
A genetic counselling session
Sometimes included in the test price, sometimes charged separately.
Indicative only. Prices vary widely between labs and hospitals, and change over time. Stand-alone genetic tests are often not covered by insurance or government schemes, while treatment for retinoblastoma may be. Call the helpline for an estimate against your own cover.
Behind the price
What makes one RB1 test cost more than another?
Two quotes can look very different and both be fair. These are the things that move the figure.
Whether deletions are checked
Some RB1 faults are a missing piece of the gene rather than a spelling error. A good test looks for both. A cheap quote that leaves this out can miss the family's fault.
Ask the lab
- Does it include deletion and duplication analysis?
- Is the lab accredited by NABL?
Blood, tumour, or both
In a child with a tumour in one eye only, the fault may be in the tumour and not in the blood. Testing both gives a clearer answer for the rest of the family, and it costs more.
Whether counselling is included
Some prices include a session before and after the test. Others are the laboratory fee alone. Counselling is how the result gets explained properly, so it is not really an extra.
How fast you need it
Results usually take a few weeks. For a newborn sibling, ask whether a faster result would change the eye check schedule. That is when paying for speed makes sense.
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Spending wisely
How can a family keep the cost down without cutting corners?
See a counsellor first
A counsellor decides which test fits and who should have it first. That step alone prevents many unnecessary tests.
Test the person who had the tumour first
Their result tells the lab what to look for. Testing a well sibling first can give a negative result that means very little.
Keep the first report safe
Relatives need a copy so the lab knows exactly which change to test. Losing it can mean paying for a full test again.
Plan ahead for a new baby
If a survivor is expecting a child, arrange the test before the birth. An early result can spare the baby many eye checks.
Ask about the eye checks
Repeated eye examinations often cost more than the test itself. Ask the eye team for a rough figure for the coming years.
Side by side
Blood test alone, or blood and tumour: which one fits?
Blood test alone
Blood and tumour together
Tumours in both eyes, or a family history
Tumour in one eye, with no family history
Lower cost
Higher cost, but a clearer answer
Answers whether the fault is inherited
Also shows the tumour's own faults, to compare
A negative result may leave doubt in one-eye cases
Helps decide whether siblings really need checks
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot give you a quote. Prices change, laboratories change their methods, and the right test depends on who is being tested and whether tumour tissue is available. The ranges above are there so that a figure does not come as a shock. They are not for choosing a lab on price alone, because deletion testing and counselling matter as much as the number.
It cannot tell you what a result means for your child
A positive, negative or uncertain RB1 result has to be read alongside the eye findings and the family tree. What a specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test.
Who this does not apply to
Most children with a squint or a watery eye do not need a genetic test. A white glow in a child's pupil on a photograph needs an eye doctor promptly, not a genetic test, because the eye examination always comes first. RB1 testing is for a person who had retinoblastoma, or a relative once a family fault is known.
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us about the cost, and what is true
"Every relative needs the full test the first person had."
Once the fault is known, relatives need only the targeted test for that one change. That is the biggest saving a family can make.
"The eye has already been removed, so testing is pointless now."
The test still matters. It shows whether the fault is in every cell, which affects the other eye, later cancer risk and the survivor's own children.
"A cheaper lab gives the same result."
Sometimes it does. But a test that skips deletion checks can miss a real fault and leave a sibling unchecked.
"The government scheme will pay for the test."
Treatment for retinoblastoma is often covered. The genetic test itself usually is not. Ask the scheme desk in writing before you plan around it.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about the cost of RB1 testing
Does Aarogyasri or Ayushman Bharat cover RB1 testing?
Stand-alone genetic tests are usually not covered. Treatment for retinoblastoma, and some eye examinations, may be. Ask the scheme desk at the hospital to check your own entitlement before you plan around it, and keep the answer in writing.
How long do RB1 results take?
Usually a few weeks for a first test, and often less for a relative's targeted test. If a newborn sibling is waiting, tell the counsellor. The eye checks carry on until the result is back, so the timing really matters.
Can a baby be tested at birth?
Yes. A small blood sample, or sometimes cord blood, can be tested soon after birth if the family fault is known. Arranging this during pregnancy means the result comes back early, before the eye check schedule becomes heavy.
What do the eye checks cost?
It varies with the child's age and how often checks are needed. Young babies at risk often need examinations under a short anaesthetic, which cost more than a clinic visit. Ask the eye team for an estimate covering the first few years.
Can we test a tumour from an eye removed years ago?
Often yes, if the hospital still holds the tissue block. It is priced separately by the pathology laboratory. Ask the hospital where the surgery was done whether the block is still stored, and how to have it sent.
Is the test different for an adult survivor?
No, the same blood test is used. Adult survivors often test before starting their own family, because the result shapes how their children are checked from birth.
What does it cost if the result is uncertain?
An uncertain result costs nothing extra in itself. The eye check plan is then based on the family history and the tumour findings. Ask how you will be told if the laboratory later reclassifies it.
How do we get an estimate for our family?
Write down who is being tested and what cover you have, then call the CION helpline. Someone will explain the likely costs, including the eye checks that follow, before anything is booked.
What moves the figure
What affects the cost
Four things change the total more than anything else.
The technique used
A shaped or image-guided delivery costs more than a conventional one, and is chosen on clinical grounds rather than preference.
How many sessions
The total is driven by the number of sittings or cycles, not by a single per-visit figure.
Supporting tests
Scans, blood work and pathology done alongside treatment are billed separately.
Your cover
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance usually change the out-of-pocket figure substantially.
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
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
Medical Oncologist
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. One helpline books a consultation at any of these centres, and your team will tell you where counselling and testing take place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — Retinoblastoma
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What is the cost of genetic testing, and how long does it take to get the results?
- MedlinePlus Genetics — RB1 gene
- National Cancer Institute — Retinoblastoma Treatment (PDQ) – Health Professional Version
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
Testing the family for RB1Who is tested next, and in what orderScreening siblings and children of a survivorWhat the eye checks involve while you waitUnilateral vs bilateral retinoblastomaWhy one eye or both changes which test fitsRB1 and family planningOptions for survivors planning their own children
Talk to us
Want a clear estimate before you decide?
Tell us who in the family is being tested and what cover you have. We will set out the likely costs in plain terms, including the eye checks that follow. One helpline serves every CION centre.