Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Genetic counselling from Nizamabad and Kamareddy: what needs a trip | CION Cancer Clinics
Most families from Nizamabad and Kamareddy need to travel to Hyderabad once at most for genetic counselling, and some not at all. The first conversation can happen by phone or video in Telugu, and results can be explained the same way. This page sets out what can be done from home, what needs a visit, and how to fit that visit into a single day. 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 need to travel from Nizamabad for genetic counselling?
- Which parts can happen from home, and which need a trip?
- How do you fit the visit into one day from Nizamabad?
- What should you bring from home?
- When is the journey worth it, and when is it not?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things district families tell us, and what is true
- Common questions from Nizamabad and Kamareddy families
The short answer
Do you need to travel from Nizamabad for genetic counselling?
Usually once at most, and sometimes not at all. The first conversation with a genetic counsellor can happen by phone or video from Nizamabad or Kamareddy. A blood or saliva sample can often be taken closer to home, and results can be explained on a video call. A trip to Hyderabad makes most sense when the relative with cancer is already being treated there.
What genuinely needs you in the room
Very little. A counsellor needs a clear family history, copies of the reports, and a sample from the right person. The right person is usually the relative who already has cancer, because testing them first tells the family whether there is a fault to look for at all. If that relative is having chemotherapy or surgery in Hyderabad, the sample can often be taken during a visit they are making anyway.
Who this does not apply to
Most families in Nizamabad who have lived through cancer do not need a genetic test. One relative diagnosed later in life, with no pattern of young diagnoses or rare cancers, rarely changes anything. A counsellor will tell you that honestly over the phone, and it may save you the journey altogether.
Genetic counselling is a conversation first. A test comes only if the conversation says it will help.Home, phone or Hyderabad
Which parts can happen from home, and which need a trip?
Genetic counselling is mostly conversation and paperwork. Only one step involves a needle, and even that can often happen near home.
At home in Nizamabad or Kamareddy
Drawing the family tree on both sides, gathering old reports and finding out where any surgery was done. Relatives in Bodhan, Armoor or Banswada can be asked over the phone.
Write down
- Who was diagnosed, and with what
- Roughly how old they were
- Which side of the family they are on
On a phone or video call
The first counselling conversation and, very often, the results appointment. Both can be held in Telugu. A son in Hyderabad or a daughter abroad can join the same call, so nobody has to repeat the story.
At a sample point
Inherited testing needs blood, or sometimes saliva. Some laboratories arrange collection in district towns or send a kit by courier. Ask before anything is posted, because the kit, the form and the test ordered must all match.
The sample is not the hard part. Choosing the right test is.In Hyderabad
Worth the journey when the relative with cancer is being treated here, when the family is large and hard to piece together, or when several relatives want to be seen together on one day.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistIf you do travel
How do you fit the visit into one day from Nizamabad?
Before you leave
Confirm the appointment the day before and ask exactly who needs to come. Put every report in one folder, in date order. Photograph each page on your phone as a backup.
The road or rail in
The highway from Nizamabad and Kamareddy enters the city from the north, through Medchal and Kompally. CION has a branch at Kompally. Ask the helpline whether any part of your visit can happen there, closer to your route.
The counselling itself
Expect a long, unhurried conversation, often close to an hour. The counsellor builds the family tree with you, explains what a test can and cannot answer, and asks for your consent before any sample is taken.
The sample, and home
If a test is agreed, the blood sample is usually taken the same day. Results take time to come back, so nobody waits in Hyderabad for them. They are given later, often on a video call.
In your folder
What should you bring from home?
- The diagnosis report
- The pathology report of the relative who had cancer. It names the exact type of cancer, which matters more than the organ.
- Treatment papers
- Discharge summaries and any earlier gene or tumour test results. A tumour test answers a different question, but the counsellor needs to see it.
- Where the surgery was done
- Hospitals keep tissue from operations as a small wax block. If a relative has died, that block can sometimes still be tested.
- The family tree
- Both sides of the family, going back to grandparents if you can. Include relatives who never had cancer.
- Relatives living away
- Names of relatives in other cities or working in the Gulf. If a fault is found, they can often be tested where they live.
- Scheme and insurance cards
- Aarogyasri, Ayushman Bharat and any insurance card, so the desk can check what applies before you pay.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
When is the journey worth it, and when is it not?
Worth travelling
Better started from home
The relative with cancer is already coming to Hyderabad
The relative with cancer is too unwell to travel
Several relatives want to be seen together
Only one person has a question
The family tree is large or unclear
The history is short and well documented
A result needs a face-to-face talk
The counsellor agrees a call is enough
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your family needs a test. That depends on who was diagnosed, with what, and at what age. A genetic counsellor works that out with you, and a short phone call is often enough to decide whether a visit is worth making.
It cannot tell you what a result means for you
What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. The same gene name can mean very different things depending on the exact change found. Please do not search a variant online and act on what you read.
It cannot promise that a scheme will pay
Aarogyasri and Ayushman Bharat are built around treatment. A standalone genetic test is often not covered, and the rules change from time to time. Ask the desk to check your card before the sample is taken, not afterwards.
If you are unsure whether the trip is needed at all, call the helpline first and describe your family.Commonly believed
Four things district families tell us, and what is true
"Gene tests are only done in big city hospitals, so the whole family must come."
The laboratories that run these tests receive samples from all over the country. What matters is that the right test is ordered for the right person. Where the blood is drawn matters far less.
"Everyone in the family should be tested at the same visit."
Testing usually starts with one person, the relative who has had cancer. Only if a fault is found are others offered a test for that exact fault. Testing everyone at once costs more and often answers nothing.
"My brother works in Dubai, so he cannot be part of this."
He can join the counselling by video. If a fault is found in the family, he can usually be tested for that exact fault where he lives, using a copy of the family's report.
"Several relatives had cancer, so it must be inherited."
Families share more than genes. Tobacco use in several relatives, the same kitchen smoke, or simply a large family can create a cluster that looks inherited and is not. A counsellor looks at the pattern, not only the count.
Questions we are asked
Common questions from Nizamabad and Kamareddy families
Can the first counselling session be done by phone from Nizamabad?
Yes, in most cases. A phone or video call is enough to take the family history, look at photographed reports and decide whether a test is worth doing. Counselling can be arranged in Telugu. If a test is recommended, the counsellor then explains where and how the sample can be taken.
How long does the visit take if we come to Hyderabad?
Plan for most of a day, including the journey. The counselling conversation is unhurried, and a blood sample, if agreed, is quick. Nobody needs to stay overnight for results, because they come back later and are usually explained on a call.
Does the relative with cancer have to come?
It helps a great deal if they can, because testing them first gives the clearest answer. If they are too unwell to travel, their sample can sometimes be taken where they are being treated. If they have died, a stored tissue block from their surgery may still be usable.
Is Aarogyasri accepted for genetic testing?
Aarogyasri is designed around treatment, and a standalone inherited gene test is often not covered. Treatment for a cancer found later may be. CION is empanelled for Aarogyasri treatment. Rules change, so bring the card and ask the desk to check before the sample is taken.
Can the sample be given in Nizamabad instead?
Sometimes. Some laboratories arrange collection in district towns or send a kit by courier. The kit, the form and the test ordered must all match, so never give a sample before a counsellor has confirmed which test is being done. Call the helpline before sending anything.
What if some relatives do not want to be tested?
That is their decision, and it is respected. Testing is voluntary for every adult. A counsellor can give you a plain letter explaining the family result, which you can share with relatives when they are ready. Many decide later, once they have had time to think.
Will a result affect a marriage proposal in the family?
A result is private medical information, and you decide who hears it. Families do worry about this, and it is a fair question to raise with the counsellor before testing. They can help you think through who needs to know, and when.
Who do I call to plan the trip?
Call the CION helpline. Describe who in the family had cancer and where they were treated. Someone will tell you whether a call is enough to start, or whether a visit makes sense, and help you book so the family makes as few journeys as possible.
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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Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
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.
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
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What is genetic counseling?
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- MedlinePlus Genetics — How is genetic testing done?
- Aarogyasri Health Care Trust, Government of Telangana — Aarogyasri Health Care Trust
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
Online genetic counselling from a districtHow a video appointment works from homeSample collection without travelling to HyderabadWhen the blood or saliva sample can be given near homeBringing the whole family to one appointmentIf you do travel, how to make one trip count for everyoneFrom Karimnagar and PeddapalliThe same planning, for the neighbouring northern districts
Talk to us
Not sure whether your family needs to make the trip?
Tell us who in the family had cancer and where they were treated. We will tell you whether a phone call is enough to start, and plan any visit so it fits into one day. One helpline serves every CION centre.