Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
What to ask before choosing where to be treated for colon cancer | CION Cancer Clinics
Ask five things before you choose: what stage it is and what is still needed to be sure, who else will review the case, which operation and why, whether chemotherapy afterwards is likely, and what it will cost in writing. This page turns those five into a list you can carry into the room, and shows which answers should reassure you and which should make you ask again. At CION Cancer Clinics, we explain costs in writing and help families from across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh plan treatment in Hyderabad.
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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The short answer
What should I ask before choosing where to be treated?
Ask five things: what stage they think it is and what is still needed to be sure, who else will review the case before treatment, which operation is planned and why, whether chemotherapy afterwards is likely, and what it will all cost in writing. A centre that answers all five clearly is one you can trust. The rest of this page expands each one.
Why asking matters more than it feels
Most families walk into a consultation frightened and walk out having asked nothing. That is normal. But colon cancer treatment is a series of decisions, and the first few shape everything after. The questions below are not a test of the doctor. They are the way you find out whether the plan is built on your scans or on habit.
How to use this page
Save it on your phone or forward it on WhatsApp to whoever is coming with you. Pick the questions that fit your situation. Ask them at the first consultation, and ask the same ones again if you take a second opinion, so you are comparing like with like.
Take the same folder of reports to every centre. A different answer on different reports tells you nothing.The questions, grouped
What exactly do I ask, and about what?
Four groups. You will not need every question, but every family needs at least one from each group.
About the stage
Stage is what the cancer has reached, from the bowel wall out to the lymph nodes and beyond. Nothing sensible can be decided until it is known.
Ask
- What stage do you think this is, and from which reports?
- What else do you need before you are sure?
- Has the biopsy been checked for MSI or MMR (a test for a repair fault that changes treatment)?
About the team
Colon cancer is decided by a surgeon, a medical oncologist, a radiologist and a pathologist together. One doctor deciding alone is the most common weakness in care.
Ask
- Will my case go to a tumour board, and when?
- Who is the medical oncologist, and when do I meet them?
- Will I get the plan in writing?
About the operation
Removing the affected part of the colon with its lymph nodes is called a colectomy. The right version depends on where the tumour sits, and the surgeon should say which and why.
Ask
- Which operation, and is keyhole surgery possible for me?
- How likely is a stoma (a bag), and would it be temporary?
- How often do you do this operation?
About money and paperwork
The estimate should cover staging, surgery, pathology and the likely chemotherapy, and say what Aarogyasri, Ayushman Bharat or your insurer will cover.
Ask
- Can I have the estimate in writing, stage by stage?
- Who handles scheme or insurance approvals?
- What usually falls outside the package?
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistSide by side
Which answers should reassure me, and which should worry me?
Reassuring
Ask again
"We need the CT before we can say the stage."
"Stage does not matter, we remove it anyway."
"The board meets this week; you will have a plan after."
"I have decided, no need for anyone else."
"A stoma is possible; here is when and why."
"Never a bag with me."
"Chemotherapy depends on the final pathology."
"You will need chemotherapy, start next week."
"Here is the written estimate and what the scheme covers."
"Pay the advance, we will see about the rest."
Did you know
Whether chemotherapy is needed after colon surgery is usually decided from the pathology report of the removed bowel, not before the operation. A centre that promises or rules out chemotherapy before surgery is guessing. The honest answer at that stage is "it depends on what we find".
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After the consultation
What do I do with the answers once I have them?
Write them down in the room
Let the son or daughter who came with you type the answers into the phone as they are given. Memory under stress is poor, and two people often remember the same answer differently by the evening.
Ask the same questions at the second centre
If you take a second opinion, carry the same reports and ask the same list. Differences in the stage or the operation are what you are looking for. Differences in manner or waiting time are not.
Compare the written plans, not the conversations
Set the two plans side by side: operation, likely chemotherapy, who decides, and the estimate. The page on comparing quotes shows how to line up two estimates fairly.
Decide and book
When the plans agree, or one is clearly better explained, choose the centre you trusted in the room and book the next step. Keep the answers you wrote down; they become the list of questions you ask once the pathology is back.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what the right answers are for your cancer. The right operation for a tumour on the right side of the colon is not the right one for the sigmoid, and whether chemotherapy follows depends on what the pathologist finds. This page gives you the questions. Only a doctor who has read your reports can give you the answers that apply to you.
Who this does not apply to
If the bowel is blocked, with a swollen belly, vomiting and no stool or wind, or if there is heavy bleeding, there is no time for a list of questions. Go to the nearest hospital with a surgical emergency department today. If the cancer is in the rectum rather than the colon, the operation and the role of radiation are different, and the rectal cancer pages carry the questions you need instead.
What it cannot replace
A written plan from a tumour board, and a written estimate, are the two documents that answer most of this page. If a centre has given you both, you are most of the way there. If you want a second reading of your reports before you commit, CION offers consultations and second opinions at every centre, and the questions to ask before starting treatment pick up where these leave off.
Bring every report, including the ones that look unimportant. The blood test you nearly left at home is often the one the doctor asks for.Questions we are asked
Common questions about choosing where to be treated
Will the doctor mind if I bring a list of questions?
A good doctor will not, and many prefer it, because a family with a list leaves the room understanding the plan. Keep it short, ask the ones that matter most first, and let the person who came with you ask the ones you forget. A doctor who is irritated by questions has answered one of them.
What if the answer is "we will decide after surgery"?
For chemotherapy, that is the right answer, because the decision depends on the pathology of the removed bowel. For the stage, the operation or the cost, it is not. Those should be known, at least roughly, before anyone operates. Ask which parts can be settled now.
Is it wrong to ask about cost at the first visit?
No. Cost shapes real choices, from which hospital to which scheme, and asking early avoids the shock of a bill mid-way. Ask for a written estimate that separates staging, surgery, pathology and likely chemotherapy, and ask what the scheme or insurer is expected to cover.
Should I ask whether the surgeon does keyhole surgery?
Yes. Keyhole (laparoscopic) colectomy suits many colon cancers and usually means a shorter stay, but it is not right for every tumour or every patient. The useful answer is a reason, either way. "We always do open" and "we always do keyhole" are both answers to ask about further.
Does CION answer these questions in writing?
Yes. After a CION consultation the tumour board reviews your reports and you receive the plan and an estimate in writing. Surgery is planned by CION's surgical oncologists and carried out at an accredited partner hospital; chemotherapy and follow-up are at CION centres. We say this plainly so the plan has no surprises.
How many questions is too many for one visit?
Around eight to ten well-chosen ones is comfortable. Pick one or two from each of the four groups on this page. The rest can wait for the next visit, and some will have answered themselves once the written plan arrives.
What if the two centres give different stages?
Usually one has seen a scan the other has not, or one is estimating before the CT. Ask each which reports their stage rests on. If both have the same reports and still differ, a third reading by a tumour board is worth the wait before any operation.
Can I ask these questions in Telugu?
Yes, and you should, in whichever language you think clearly in. Ask whether the doctor or a nurse can explain the plan in Telugu, and whether the written plan can be explained line by line. The page on Telugu-language support explains what to expect.
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
- NHS — Treatment for bowel cancer
- American Cancer Society — Colon Cancer Surgery
- NICE — Colorectal cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Managing Cancer Costs and Medical Information
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
Choosing a colon cancer centreThe four things that change the outcome, before the questionsQuestions to ask before starting treatmentThe next list, once the plan is agreedSecond opinion on colon cancer in HyderabadHow to get a second reading of the same reportsQuestions to ask once you know your stageWhat to ask when the staging is complete
Talk to us
Want these questions answered on your own reports?
Bring your colonoscopy, biopsy and scan reports to a CION consultation and the tumour board will give you the plan and the estimate in writing. One helpline serves every CION centre.