Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Genetic counselling for colon cancer in Hyderabad | CION Cancer Clinics
Genetic counselling for colon cancer in Hyderabad starts with the oncologist treating you. At CION, your medical oncologist checks your tumour reports and family history and arranges counselling and testing through our genetics partners when it is needed. Most people with colon cancer do not qualify, and that is a relief rather than a loss. This page explains who should ask, how the referral works and what to bring. At CION Cancer Clinics in Hyderabad, our oncologists explain colon cancer in plain words and plan care around you and your family.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- Where can I get genetic counselling for colon cancer in Hyderabad?
- Should I ask for a genetic counselling referral?
- How does the referral work through CION?
- What should I bring to the first appointment?
- Why test with counselling rather than on your own?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about genetic counselling
The short answer
Where can I get genetic counselling for colon cancer in Hyderabad?
Start with the oncologist treating the cancer. At CION, your medical oncologist reviews your family history and tumour reports, and arranges genetic counselling and testing through our genetics partners when it is needed. Most people with colon cancer do not need it, so the first step is a quick check of whether you qualify.
What genetic counselling actually is
It is a conversation, usually before and after a genetic test. A genetic counsellor or a doctor trained in cancer genetics draws your family tree, asks who had cancer and at roughly what age, and explains what a test can and cannot show. You decide whether to go ahead only after you understand what the answer might mean for you and your relatives.
Why it is not just a blood test
A genetic report can be confusing on its own. The same gene name can mean very different things depending on the exact fault. Counselling makes sure the right person is tested first, the right genes are checked, and the result is explained in a way your family can act on. For the full picture of inherited risk, see is my colon cancer hereditary.
Counselling does not commit you to a test. Many people decide, after talking it through, that they do not need one.Who should ask
Should I ask for a genetic counselling referral?
These are the situations in which oncologists most often suggest a referral. One of them is usually enough to ask the question.
Colon cancer at a young age
Being diagnosed before fifty raises the chance that an inherited fault is involved. Many young patients are now offered counselling as routine, whatever the family history looks like, because a fault can appear for the first time in one person.
A tumour test that shows MMR deficiency
Your tumour is usually checked for mismatch repair (MMR) proteins or MSI, a sign the cell's spelling-check system has failed. An abnormal result can point towards Lynch syndrome, though many such tumours turn out not to be inherited.
This tumour test is not a genetic test of you. It only tells your doctor whether one is worth doing.A large number of polyps
Many polyps found at colonoscopy, in one sitting or over the years, can be a sign of a polyposis syndrome such as FAP or MUTYH-associated polyposis. Your colonoscopy report usually records how many were found and of what type, so bring it with you.
A pattern in the family
Several relatives on one side with colon, womb, ovarian, stomach or urinary tract cancers is a pattern counsellors look for. So is one person with two separate cancers.
Also ask if
- A relative already has a known gene fault
- Relatives were diagnosed young
- You are unsure and want it checked
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistFrom first call to result
How does the referral work through CION?
Your oncologist checks if you qualify
Your medical oncologist reads your tumour reports and your family history. If your case is complex, the tumour board looks at it too. This check usually happens at an ordinary clinic visit and needs no extra appointment.
The first counselling session
The counsellor draws your family tree, explains which genes are worth checking, and talks through what each result could mean. You then decide whether to test.
A blood sample goes to the laboratory
The person who has cancer is usually tested first. The sample goes to an accredited genetics laboratory, and results take some weeks. Ask at this visit how you will be contacted when the report is ready.
The results session
The result is explained in person or by phone. If a fault is found, you get a family letter and a plan for relatives. Read more about genetic testing after a diagnosis.
Before you go
What should I bring to the first appointment?
- Your colonoscopy, biopsy and surgery pathology reports
- Any MMR, MSI, KRAS or BRAF tumour test results
- A list of relatives with cancer, on both sides, with rough ages
- Any genetic report a relative already has
- A family member who knows the older generation well
- Your questions, written down in Telugu or English
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
Side by side
Why test with counselling rather than on your own?
Test with counselling
Test ordered on its own
The right person in the family is tested first
A well relative may be tested with nothing to look for
The gene panel fits your family pattern
Genes may be missed or tested needlessly
An uncertain result is explained calmly
An uncertain result can cause needless alarm
Relatives get a letter and a clear next step
The family is left to work it out alone
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether you need a genetic test. That depends on your tumour results, your age at diagnosis and your family tree, and only someone who has seen all three can answer it. It also cannot interpret a genetic report you are already holding.
What it costs
The cost of germline testing is quoted separately and varies by laboratory and by how many genes are checked. Testing a relative for a fault already found in the family is usually simpler than the first test. Insurance cover for genetic tests varies between policies, so ask your insurer before testing. Do not assume a government scheme such as Aarogyasri or Ayushman Bharat covers it; ask the scheme desk.
Who this does not apply to
If you were diagnosed at an older age, your tumour test was normal and no one else in the family has had a related cancer, counselling is unlikely to change anything for you. Close relatives should still follow the screening advice on screening for siblings and parents.
Not sure if you qualify? Describe your family history on the helpline and we will tell you honestly.Questions we are asked
Common questions about genetic counselling
Do I need a referral letter for genetic counselling?
It helps. A referral from your oncologist means the counsellor already has your tumour reports and knows why you are coming. At CION, your medical oncologist makes that referral once your reports have been reviewed, so you do not need to find a genetics service yourself.
Can I have counselling if I do not have cancer?
Yes, if there is a strong family history or a known fault in a relative. Testing works best when the relative who had cancer is tested first. If that is not possible, a counsellor can still assess your risk and plan your screening.
Is the session available in Telugu?
Ask for it. Genetics involves new words, and it is easier in the language you think in. Bringing a family member who speaks both Telugu and English also helps, and they can carry the message back to relatives who could not come.
Can counselling be done by phone or video?
Often, at least in part. The family history conversation and the results discussion can sometimes happen remotely, which helps families in district towns. The blood sample still has to be taken at a centre or a laboratory collection point.
Does a normal genetic test mean my family is safe?
No. It means no known fault was found in the genes tested. Your relatives may still need earlier screening because of the family history itself. Your counsellor will tell you what screening each relative should have.
Will my result change my own treatment?
Sometimes. A Lynch syndrome result may affect the extent of surgery discussed and how often you have colonoscopy afterwards. MMR deficiency in the tumour can also open up immunotherapy in some situations, whether or not the fault is inherited.
Who else in my family should come for counselling?
If a fault is found, parents, brothers, sisters and adult children usually come next. Each can be tested for that exact fault. Our page on telling your family about inherited risk covers how to start that conversation.
How do I start if I live outside Hyderabad?
Call the CION helpline and describe your reports and family history. We can tell you whether a referral is worth making, arrange it if it is, and plan the visits so a family travelling from a district needs as few trips as possible.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's colon cancer specialists. Bring your colonoscopy, scan or biopsy report.
Our surgical and medical oncologists plan colon cancer care together: which operation, whether chemotherapy is needed, and the follow-up that comes after.
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
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical 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 each test and operation takes place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Genetic Testing Fact Sheet
- NICE — Molecular testing strategies for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Risks and causes of bowel cancer
- American Cancer Society — Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors
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
Is my colon cancer hereditary?The question to settle before asking for a referralGenetic testing after a colon cancer diagnosisWhat the test looks for and what a result meansTelling your family about inherited riskWhat to do if a fault is found in youColorectal cancer under fiftyWhy a young diagnosis changes the testing advice
Talk to us
Not sure whether you qualify for genetic counselling?
Describe your tumour reports and who in your family has had cancer, and we will tell you honestly whether a referral is worth making. If it is, we arrange the counselling and plan the visits around your travel. One helpline serves every CION centre.