Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Which genetic test would your situation need? | CION Cancer Clinics
The right genetic test depends on whether a fault is already known in your family and how specific your family's pattern is. If a relative's report names a fault, you need a test for that one change. If not, the relative who has had cancer is usually tested first. This page walks through the common situations so you arrive at your appointment prepared. 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
- How do you know which genetic test your situation needs?
- Which of these sounds like your family?
- How can you work out your situation before you see anyone?
- What do the names of these tests mean?
- What if your situation is less common?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things families assume about choosing a test
- Common questions about choosing the right test
The short answer
How do you know which genetic test your situation needs?
It depends on two things: whether anyone in the family has already had cancer or a genetic result, and how specific the family's pattern is. If a fault is already known, relatives are tested for that one fault. If not, the person who has had cancer is usually tested first, with a panel of genes chosen for their cancer.
Start with who has already been tested
A relative's report is the most useful thing a family can bring. If it names a fault, everyone else's test becomes simple and quick. If it was negative, it still shows what has been ruled out. If nobody has been tested, the counsellor will look for the best person to start with, which is almost always someone who has had cancer.
Then look at the pattern
A very distinctive pattern, such as an eye cancer in a young child, points to one gene. Breast and ovarian cancer on one side of the family points to a group of genes. A scattered mix of cancers at older ages may point to no gene at all. The test gets wider only when the pattern is less clear.
The right test is chosen with a genetic counsellor, not from a price list. This page helps you arrive prepared.The common situations
Which of these sounds like your family?
Most people asking about testing are in one of these four positions.
You have cancer yourself
If your age, your cancer type or your family history suggests an inherited cause, a blood test with a panel of relevant genes is the usual starting point. A result can sometimes change your own treatment as well as your family's screening.
A relative carries a known fault
You need a test for that exact fault only. It is the simplest test there is. Bring a copy of your relative's report, because the laboratory needs the precise name of the change.
A relative had cancer but was never tested
If they are alive, testing them first gives the clearest answer. If they have died, a stored tissue block from an old operation can sometimes be tested.
If neither is possible
- A well relative can have a panel instead
- A negative result is then less conclusive
A tumour report mentions an inherited change
Some tumour tests flag a change that could have been present from birth. That needs confirming with a separate blood test before it means anything for relatives. Tumour testing itself sits under targeted therapy.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBefore the appointment
How can you work out your situation before you see anyone?
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List every cancer in the family
Parents, brothers, sisters, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins, on both sides. Write the type of cancer and the rough age at diagnosis for each.
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Look for any genetic report
Ask relatives directly whether anyone has had a genetic test, even years ago or in another city. A single report can change which test you need.
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Mark anything unusual
Cancer at a young age, two separate cancers in one person, a rare cancer, or breast cancer in a man. These are the details a counsellor looks for first.
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Note whether the parents are related
Marriage within the family is common in parts of India. It is worth mentioning, because it matters for a few rare inherited conditions, though it is not a reason to test on its own.
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Take it all to a counsellor
The counsellor turns this list into a family tree and tells you which test fits, or whether none is needed.
Words you will hear
What do the names of these tests mean?
- Diagnostic test
- A test for someone who already has cancer, to see whether an inherited fault explains it.
- Predictive test
- A test for a well relative, for a fault already known in the family.
- Targeted mutation analysis
- The laboratory name for testing one known change. It is what most relatives have.
- Multigene panel
- A group of genes read together, chosen for the cancers seen in the family.
- Confirmatory germline test
- A blood test that checks whether a change seen in a tumour was present from birth. Germline means inherited, in every cell.
- Most informative relative
- The person whose test will tell the family the most, usually someone who has had cancer.
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Other situations
What if your situation is less common?
If this is your situation
The usual starting point
A rare, very distinctive pattern
A single gene or a small panel
An old negative test from years ago
A review of what that test covered
A worrying result from a home kit
A clinical assessment before any decision
Planning a pregnancy with a known family fault
Counselling on the options before pregnancy
No cancer in the family, simply curious
Usually no test at all
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot choose your test for you. Families rarely fit one box neatly, and the details that decide the test, such as exact ages, which side a cancer came from and what an old report covered, need a genetic counsellor to weigh them together.
It cannot interpret a result
What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. Please do not choose a test online, receive a report by courier and try to read it alone. A result without an explanation can cause more worry than no result at all.
Who this does not apply to
Most people do not need an inherited cancer test. If one older relative had a common cancer and nothing else in the family stands out, the right answer is often no test, with ordinary screening for your age. A counsellor will say so as readily as they will recommend one.
If you are unsure which situation you are in, call the helpline and describe your family. Someone will tell you honestly whether a referral is worth making.Commonly believed
Four things families assume about choosing a test
"The well relatives should be tested first, to protect them."
Testing the relative who had cancer first usually protects everyone better. It finds the family fault, if there is one, so well relatives can then have a simple, conclusive test.
"We should just order the biggest test to be safe."
Wider tests return more changes nobody can yet explain. A test matched to your family's pattern usually gives a clearer answer with less worry.
"My relative's fault is in the family, so I need a full panel too."
Usually not. Once a fault is known, you need a test for that one change. A wider test is added only if there is also cancer on the other side of your family.
"A tumour test and a blood test are the same thing."
They answer different questions. A tumour test guides treatment of that cancer. A blood test asks whether a risk runs in the family.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about choosing the right test
Who in the family should be tested first?
Wherever possible, the relative who has had cancer. Testing that person first tells you whether there is a fault to look for at all. If they test negative, testing well relatives usually adds little, and their screening is planned on the family history instead.
My relative lives in another city. Can they be tested there?
Usually, yes. What matters is that the right test is ordered and the report is shared with the family. Ask your relative to bring a copy of the full report to you, or to send it to your counsellor with their permission.
Can I choose the test myself?
You can ask for one, but choosing without a counsellor often means the wrong size of test or the wrong person tested. A short consultation before the sample is taken usually saves money, time and worry later.
Is a blood sample enough?
For inherited testing, yes, and saliva is sometimes used. Tissue from a tumour answers a different question about the cancer itself. Stored tissue from an old operation can sometimes stand in for a relative who has died.
Should my children be tested?
For faults that raise risk only in adult life, testing usually waits until the child is an adult and can decide. A small number of conditions need childhood testing, because screening starts young. Your counsellor will tell you which applies.
Does a government scheme or insurance cover genetic testing?
Coverage varies by scheme, policy and test. Check with the centre before assuming Aarogyasri, Ayushman Bharat or your insurer will pay. Ask for the price of the recommended test in writing before the sample is sent.
Will a test result affect my insurance?
India has no dedicated law on genetic discrimination in insurance, and the position has been argued in court rather than settled by statute. Raise it with your counsellor before testing, not afterwards.
Where do I start?
Write down every cancer in the family, with rough ages, on both sides, and find any genetic report a relative has. Bring both to a genetic counsellor or your oncologist. Call the CION helpline if you are unsure who to see, and ask about counselling in Telugu.
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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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing for Inherited Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
- NHS — Predictive genetic tests for cancer risk genes
- MedlinePlus Genetics — What are the different types of genetic tests?
- Cancer Research UK — Inherited cancer genes and increased cancer risk
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
Types of Genetic Test for Cancer: A Complete ComparisonEvery test type explained, from narrowest to widestTargeted Mutation Analysis: Testing for One Known VariantThe simple test for relatives of someone with a known faultGermline Testing on Blood vs Tumour-Only TestingWhy a tumour report cannot settle an inherited questionCarrier Testing vs Diagnostic Testing vs Predictive TestingThe three purposes of a test, told apart
Talk to us
Not sure which situation your family is in?
Describe your family's cancers and any old reports to us. We will tell you honestly which test fits, or whether you need one at all. One helpline serves every CION centre.