Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Is pharmacogenomic testing available in Hyderabad? | CION Cancer Clinics
Yes, pharmacogenomic testing is available in Hyderabad. Several private laboratories in the city read the genes that decide how safely your body handles certain cancer drugs, and a sample can usually be taken where you are treated. It is not yet routine, so someone often has to ask. This page explains how testing is arranged here, what to check first, and what changes if you live in a district. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team helps carriers and their families plan checks, next steps and support after a genetic result.
NG
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
- Can I get a drug-gene test in Hyderabad?
- Which kinds of drug-gene test can you get here?
- How does a test get arranged in Hyderabad?
- What should I check before the sample is taken?
- Treated in the city or in a district: what differs?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things families assume about testing here, and what is true
- Common questions about drug-gene testing in Hyderabad
The short answer
Can I get a drug-gene test in Hyderabad?
Yes. Drug-gene tests are available in Hyderabad through several private laboratories, and a sample can usually be taken at the hospital where you are treated. Whether you are offered one depends on the drugs in your plan, and often on whether someone asks.
Available is not the same as routine
Most hospitals in India do not yet test every patient before these drugs as a standard step. Your oncologist has to order the test. In practice, families frequently raise it first, and that is perfectly acceptable.
Where the sample is actually read
Some laboratories in the city run the test themselves. Others collect the sample and send it to a partner laboratory elsewhere in India. Both can work well. What matters is which genes are read, how carefully, and how quickly the report reaches your oncologist.
If you live in a district
A sample taken in a district town may be couriered to Hyderabad or another city before it is read. That adds time. Ask about it before relying on the result for a first dose.
Living far from the city does not rule the test out. It mostly changes how long you wait.What you can ask for
Which kinds of drug-gene test can you get here?
The test your oncologist orders depends on the medicine being planned. Most people need only one of these.
A single-gene test
Reads one gene linked to one drug, such as DPYD before fluorouracil or capecitabine, or UGT1A1 before irinotecan. This is the most common request before chemotherapy.
Good to know
- Answers the question for the drug planned now
- Usually the quickest and simplest option
The thiopurine pair
TPMT and NUDT15 are read together before mercaptopurine or thioguanine, mainly in childhood leukaemia. NUDT15 matters more in Asian families, so ask for both genes, not just one.
A report that reads only TPMT is incomplete for most Indian children.A G6PD blood test
Checks how well an enzyme in the red blood cells works before rasburicase. It is an ordinary blood test and many general laboratories in the city already do it.
A broad drug-gene panel
Reads many genes at once, for many medicines. It is rarely needed for one planned drug, and it takes more explaining afterwards.
Sometimes considered when
- Several drugs with gene links are planned
- Other medicines for long-term illness are also taken
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistFrom request to report
How does a test get arranged in Hyderabad?
Your oncologist decides it is needed
The test only makes sense once a drug with a known gene link is in your plan. Ask at the visit where the plan is explained, so there is time for the result to come back.
A request form is written
The form names the gene or genes to be read. Check that it matches the drug you are about to receive, and that your full name is spelt the same way as on your hospital file.
The sample is taken
Usually a routine blood sample, sometimes saliva. It can often be taken on the same visit as your other pre-treatment blood tests.
The laboratory reads the gene
This is a narrow test. It looks only at the genes linked to the drug. It says nothing about your cancer risk or your relatives' health.
The report reaches your oncologist
Your oncologist sets the starting dose from it. Keep your own copy, because the result holds for life.
Before you agree
What should I check before the sample is taken?
- The exact genes and variants the test covers
- Whether variants common in Indian patients are included
- Whether the laboratory is NABL accredited
- Whether the sample is read in Hyderabad or sent elsewhere
- When the report is expected to reach your oncologist
- Who will explain the result to you, and in which language
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
Treated in the city or in a district: what differs?
Treated in Hyderabad
Treated in a district town
Sample often taken at the hospital itself
Sample may be taken at a local collection centre
Fewer steps before the laboratory receives it
Courier time is added before it is read
Easier to choose between laboratories
Choice depends on who collects locally
Result can reach the oncologist quickly
Ask who receives the report and how
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot name the right laboratory for you. Laboratories change what they offer, which genes they read and how quickly they report. The honest way to choose is to ask your oncologist which laboratory their team trusts for the gene in question, then check the points listed above.
It cannot read your result
What your specific result means for your dose is a question for the oncologist who prescribes the drug. Reports use short codes that are easy to misread. Never change a dose because of something you read on a report or online.
Who this does not apply to
Most people on cancer treatment do not need a drug-gene test. Many chemotherapy drugs, and most immunotherapy and targeted medicines, have no gene test before them. The evidence is also thinner for Indian patients, because most studies so far were done abroad. This test is also separate from testing for inherited cancer risk.
If you are not sure whether your plan includes a drug with a gene test, call the helpline with the drug names. Someone will help you find out.Commonly believed
Four things families assume about testing here, and what is true
"You have to go to Mumbai or Delhi for this kind of test."
You do not. The test can be arranged in Hyderabad, and the sample travels rather than you. Nobody needs to leave the state to have a drug-gene test done.
"A big hospital must already be testing everyone."
Not necessarily. Practice varies between hospitals and between doctors. If nobody has mentioned the test and your plan includes one of the listed drugs, it is fair to ask.
"A local laboratory will check the variants found in Indian families."
Where a laboratory sits says nothing about what it reads. Many standard tests were designed around patients abroad. Ask which variants are covered.
"Aarogyasri covers every test ordered during cancer treatment."
Cover for stand-alone drug-gene tests varies by scheme and by policy. Check with the scheme desk or your insurer before the sample is taken, not afterwards.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about drug-gene testing in Hyderabad
Can a CION oncologist advise on the test?
Yes. Your oncologist at any CION centre can check whether your treatment plan includes a drug with a known gene test. If it does, they can explain whether testing is worth the wait in your case and advise on an accredited laboratory for the sample.
How long does a result take in Hyderabad?
It differs between laboratories and between tests. A sample read in the city is usually quicker than one sent elsewhere. Ask for an expected date when the sample is taken, so your oncologist can decide whether to wait or start carefully.
Can the sample be collected at home?
Some laboratories in Hyderabad offer home collection, sometimes at an extra charge. It is often simpler to give the sample at the hospital alongside your other blood tests, so the request form and the sample stay together and nothing is mislabelled.
I live outside Hyderabad. Do I need to travel for the test?
Usually not. Many laboratories collect samples in district towns and courier them to the city. Ask how long the courier adds, and confirm that the report will go straight to the oncologist who is planning your treatment. Keep the collection receipt until the report arrives.
Is the G6PD test the same as the other gene tests?
Not quite. The usual G6PD test measures how well an enzyme in your blood works, rather than reading the gene itself. It is widely available and inexpensive. It answers the same kind of question: is a planned drug safe for your body?
Will Aarogyasri or Ayushman Bharat pay for it?
It depends on the scheme, the package and the hospital. Stand-alone drug-gene tests are often paid for by the family. Ask the scheme desk before the sample is taken. There is no EMI scheme for these tests at CION.
What if my oncologist says the test is not needed?
Ask why. Often it is because none of your drugs has a gene test before it, or because treatment cannot safely wait. Both are good reasons, and the doctor will still watch your blood counts closely. If you remain unsure, a second opinion is a normal request.
Can I use a report from another city or hospital?
Yes. The genes you were born with do not change, so an earlier result still counts. Bring the full report, not a photo of the first page, so your oncologist can see exactly which genes and variants were read.
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
- Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) — CPIC Guidelines
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Table of Pharmacogenomic Biomarkers in Drug Labeling
- MedlinePlus — Pharmacogenetic Tests
- MedlinePlus — G6PD Test
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
Cost of drug-gene testingIndicative prices before you arrange a testAsking for a drug-gene test before treatment startsWhat to say to your oncologist, and whenWhich cancer drugs have a gene test before themCheck whether your plan includes oneWhy this testing is not routine yet in IndiaWhy nobody may offer it unless you ask
Talk to us
Does your treatment plan need a drug-gene test?
Share the names of the drugs in your plan and we will help you find out whether any has a gene test before it. One helpline serves every CION centre.