Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Genetic counselling from Visakhapatnam and North Andhra: video first, one visit if needed | CION Cancer Clinics
From Visakhapatnam and the rest of North Andhra, Hyderabad is an overnight journey, and most families do not need to make it for counselling alone. The first conversation can happen by video, in Telugu, and a sample can often be given closer to home. This page explains when a trip is worth it, how to plan one combined visit, and what to send ahead. 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
- Should you travel from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad for genetic counselling?
- How do families from North Andhra usually work with a Hyderabad team?
- How do you plan one combined visit from Visakhapatnam?
- What should you send ahead?
- What does a video call do well, and what does a visit add?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things North Andhra families tell us
- Common questions from Visakhapatnam and North Andhra
The short answer
Should you travel from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad for genetic counselling?
Usually not for counselling alone. From Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli or the Araku side, Hyderabad is an overnight journey. Genetic counselling can start by video, in Telugu, and a blood sample can often be given without leaving North Andhra. The long trip makes sense when treatment, a second opinion or several relatives already bring the family to Hyderabad.
When the long journey is justified
If the relative with cancer is being treated in Hyderabad, the genetics appointment can sit on the same day as their oncology visit. It also helps when a report from another laboratory is confusing and the family wants it explained across a table, with every relative present. Otherwise, a video call does most of the work.
Who this does not apply to
Most families with one relative diagnosed later in life do not need a genetic test. Without young diagnoses, rare cancers or a clear pattern on one side of the family, a counsellor may tell you that ordinary screening is enough. That answer is worth having before anyone books a train.
Somatic, or tumour, testing guides treatment and is a different test. It is covered on our targeted therapy pages.Four ways to use Hyderabad
How do families from North Andhra usually work with a Hyderabad team?
There is no single right pattern. Most families settle on one of these, and the counsellor helps you choose.
Video only
Counselling and results happen on video calls. The sample is taken in Visakhapatnam where the laboratory allows local collection. Nobody travels.
Works best when
- The family history is clear
- Reports are easy to photograph
- The relative with cancer is too unwell to travel
One combined visit
Counselling, the sample and any oncology appointment are booked on the same day. The family makes one journey, and results follow by video.
A second look at a result
You already have a report from elsewhere and want it explained. That can often be done by video once the report is shared, without anyone travelling.
Relatives who live in Hyderabad
Many North Andhra families have a son or daughter working in Hyderabad. If a fault is found, that relative can be tested here while the rest of the family stays home.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistIf you do travel
How do you plan one combined visit from Visakhapatnam?
Share reports first
Send clear photographs of every report before you travel. The counsellor can read them in advance, so the visit is spent on decisions rather than paperwork.
Book appointments back to back
Ask the helpline to place counselling, any oncology review and any scan on the same day. One well-planned day beats three separate journeys.
Travel the night before
Most families take an overnight train and arrive in the morning. Build in time to rest and eat, especially for an older parent, before the first appointment.
Leave with a plan, not a result
If a sample is taken, the result comes back later and is explained on a video call. You go home knowing what was tested, why, and how you will hear.
Before the first call
What should you send ahead?
- The pathology report
- The report on the biopsy or operation tissue. Photograph each page flat, in daylight, with no fingers covering the words.
- The discharge summary
- It lists the diagnosis, the treatment given and the dates, all in one place.
- Any tumour gene report
- A somatic test looks only inside the tumour. It is not an inherited test, but it can hint that one is worth doing.
- A family tree drawing
- Both sides, back to grandparents, with who had cancer and roughly how old they were. A hand-drawn sketch on paper is fine.
- Where surgery was done
- The hospital keeps the tissue as a small wax block. It can sometimes be tested if a relative has died.
- Your questions
- Write them down in Telugu or English. Families forget half their questions once a call begins.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
What does a video call do well, and what does a visit add?
A video call does well
A visit adds
Taking the family history and reading reports
A sample taken on the spot
Bringing in relatives from several cities
Everyone around one table, with the family tree on paper
Explaining a clear result
Time to sit with a hard result in person
Saving the cost and strain of travel
Oncology and genetics on the same day
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 it out with you, and the first conversation can happen from home.
It cannot interpret a report
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 decide anything from a variant you have searched online.
It cannot promise what a scheme will pay
Andhra Pradesh has its own state health scheme, and Ayushman Bharat is national. Both are built around treatment, and a standalone gene test is often not covered. Rules change, so ask the desk to check your card before the sample is taken.
Commonly believed
Four things North Andhra families tell us
"A video consultation is not a proper consultation."
Genetic counselling is mostly a careful conversation about the family and the reports. That works well on video. A counsellor will say plainly if your situation needs a visit.
"If a fault is found, we will have to come to Hyderabad for every check-up."
Many screening tests can be arranged closer to home once there is a written plan. Some specialised checks are only available in larger centres, and the counsellor will tell you which.
"We should test the children now, to protect them."
For faults that raise risk only in adult life, testing usually waits until a child is grown and can decide. A few rare syndromes need earlier testing, and the counsellor will say if yours is one.
"Our old reports are from a small hospital, so they will not be accepted."
Reports from any recognised hospital are used as they are. Even an old or incomplete paper helps confirm what an illness really was.
Questions we are asked
Common questions from Visakhapatnam and North Andhra
Can the whole process be done from Visakhapatnam?
Often, yes. Counselling and results can be handled by video, and some laboratories arrange collection in Visakhapatnam. Whether that suits your family depends on the test chosen. Never give a sample before a counsellor has confirmed which test is being done.
How do we share reports before the video call?
The helpline will tell you how to send clear photographs or scans securely. Photograph every page flat, in good light, and label each one with the patient's name. Keep the originals safe, because you may need them later.
Is counselling available in Telugu?
Yes. Counselling can be arranged in Telugu, Hindi or English. Ask for Telugu when you book so that older relatives can follow. The written report will usually be in English, and the counsellor goes through it with you line by line.
My father is having treatment in Visakhapatnam. Can he still be tested?
Yes. He does not need to change hospitals. A counsellor can arrange the right test, and his sample can often be collected where he is. His oncologist there stays in charge of his treatment, and the result is shared with them.
Can relatives in Hyderabad be tested here?
Yes, once a fault is known in the family. They can be seen in Hyderabad and tested for that exact fault, while the rest of the family stays in North Andhra. Relatives elsewhere in India or abroad can usually be tested where they live.
Does Ayushman Bharat cover the test?
Usually not for a standalone inherited gene test, though treatment for a cancer found later may be covered. Scheme rules change, so call the helpline with the card details and the desk will check before the sample is taken.
What happens if the result is unclear?
An unclear result, called a variant of uncertain significance, is not a positive result. It should not change treatment or lead to surgery. Laboratories review these as evidence grows, so ask how you will be told if it is ever reclassified.
How do we start from North Andhra?
Call the CION helpline. Describe who had cancer, at what age, and where they were treated. Someone will set up a first video call, and plan any visit so that the family makes one journey rather than several.
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?
- National Health Authority, Government of India — Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
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 districtWhat a video appointment covers, step by stepSample collection without travelling to HyderabadHow a sample can be given closer to homeSecond opinion on a genetic result in HyderabadIf you already hold a report and want it explainedFrom Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and BobbiliPlanning for families further north along the coast
Talk to us
Can we do this without travelling from Visakhapatnam?
Often, yes. Tell us who in the family had cancer and we will set up a first video call and say honestly whether a visit would help. One helpline serves every CION centre.