Hematologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Travelling from your district for lymphoma treatment | CION Cancer Clinics
Most people treated for lymphoma do not need to move to Hyderabad. The tests and planning need several visits close together. After that, many plans are day-care: you travel in for each treatment day and go home. Some fast-growing types need a longer stay. This guide covers when you must be in the city, where travel money goes, and what your local hospital can handle. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team plans myeloma and lymphoma care with you, discussed at a tumour board and explained in plain words.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Do you have to move to Hyderabad for lymphoma treatment?
- When will you need to be in Hyderabad, and when can you be at home?
- Where does the travel money actually go?
- What do district families often believe about travelling for treatment?
- What should you carry on each journey?
- Who does a travel-based plan not suit, and what can you ask for?
- Common questions about travelling for lymphoma treatment
The short answer
Do you have to move to Hyderabad for lymphoma treatment?
Most people do not. For many lymphoma plans, you travel to Hyderabad for the tests and the planning, then come back for each treatment day and go home the same evening or the next day. A few plans need a longer stay, and your haematologist will tell you early if yours is one of them.
Why the first weeks need the most trips
Before treatment starts, the team needs a biopsy report, blood tests and usually a scan to find the stage. That means several visits close together. Some of these tests can be done nearer home, but the report has to be read by the team that will treat you. This is the phase where staying with a relative in the city for a week or two saves the most money and strain.
What changes once treatment starts
Much lymphoma chemotherapy is given in day-care. You come in the morning, have your blood checked, receive the drip and leave. Between treatment days you are usually at home. The travel then settles into a pattern you can plan around: bus or train timings, a place to rest, and a family member who comes with you.
This page cannot tell you how many trips your own plan needs. That depends on the lymphoma type, the stage and the treatment chosen. Ask for a written schedule at the planning visit.The travel pattern
When will you need to be in Hyderabad, and when can you be at home?
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First consultation
Bring every report, slide and scan CD you have, even old ones. If a biopsy was done in your district, the tissue block may need to be collected and brought, or sent, for a second look.
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Tests to find the type and stage
Blood tests, a scan and sometimes a bone marrow test. Ask which tests must be done in the city and which your local hospital can do. Plan to stay close by for this stretch if you can.
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The plan is explained
Your case is discussed at a tumour board, then the plan is explained to you. Bring the person who will decide and pay with you. Ask for the treatment dates in writing before you book any travel.
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Treatment days
Most visits are day-care. Some families travel the evening before so the morning blood test is not missed. Ask whether the blood test can be done locally the day before and the result shared.
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Scans during and after treatment
A mid-point or end-of-treatment scan means another trip. Later, follow-up visits become less frequent, and some check-ups can be shared with a doctor nearer home.
The hidden cost
Where does the travel money actually go?
Families often budget for the medicines and forget the rest. These costs are rarely covered by any scheme, so plan for them separately.
Getting there
Bus, train or a hired car, for the patient and one family member, every treatment day. A hired car costs more but can matter when the person is weak or the counts are low and crowds carry infection.
A place to stay
A relative's home in the city is the cheapest option. Otherwise ask the hospital about nearby lodges and dharamshalas. A clean, quiet room matters more than a comfortable one.
Lost earnings
Often the largest cost, and the one nobody writes down. The patient may stop work, and the family member who travels loses days too.
Worth asking about
- Leave rules at your workplace
- Whether one person can do every trip
Food and small things
Meals away from home, bottled water, masks and phone recharges add up across a full course. Carrying home-cooked food for the journey is safer and cheaper.
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If a fever starts while you are back in the district
A fever or shivering during chemotherapy can mean a serious infection while the white cells that fight infection are low. Do not wait to travel to Hyderabad. Go to the nearest emergency department the same day, or call 108, and say the person is on chemotherapy for lymphoma. Then call your treating team so they can speak to the local doctors.
Commonly believed
What do district families often believe about travelling for treatment?
"We will have to shift the whole family to the city."
For most day-care plans, you do not. One person travelling with the patient is usually enough. Some families stay near the hospital only for the testing phase and then travel from home for each treatment day.
"If we miss one treatment date, it is all wasted."
Dates are sometimes moved on purpose, for example when blood counts are too low. What matters is not deciding on your own. If travel is impossible on a given day, call the team before the date, not after it.
"The local hospital cannot help once treatment starts in Hyderabad."
A local hospital is often where blood tests, small problems and emergencies are handled first. It works well when both doctors have the same reports. Keep a copy of the plan with you at all times.
"Aarogyasri or insurance pays for everything, including travel."
Schemes and insurance mainly pay for approved treatment. Travel, stay, food and lost wages usually come from your own pocket. Scheme rules also change, so check the current rules before you plan around them.
Before every trip
What should you carry on each journey?
- One folder with every report, in date order, plus photocopies
- The written treatment plan and the next appointment date
- Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or insurance card and ID proof
- Every medicine the patient takes, in its original strip
- A mask, a water bottle and home-cooked food for the road
- The helpline number saved on two family phones
Being straight with you
Who does a travel-based plan not suit, and what can you ask for?
Travelling in and out works well for many people, but not for everyone. It suits someone who can sit through a long journey, has a family member free to come along, and lives within reach of an emergency department.
When staying near the hospital is safer
Some fast-growing lymphomas need treatment that keeps you in hospital, or checks every few days in the early weeks. A person who is very weak, elderly and living alone, or far from any emergency care may also be safer staying close for a while. Your haematologist will weigh this with you. It is a practical decision, not a judgement on the family.
Questions to ask at the planning visit
Ask which visits must be in Hyderabad and which can be done locally. Ask whether blood tests can be done near home and sent ahead. Ask who to call at night if something changes. Ask the billing desk what your scheme or insurer is expected to cover, and what it will not.
Costs and scheme entitlements differ from family to family and change over time. Treat any figure you hear as indicative, not a quote.Questions we are asked
Common questions about travelling for lymphoma treatment
Can we travel by bus after a chemotherapy session?
Many people do. Tiredness and sickness can make a long bus ride hard, so ask the team about medicines for sickness before you leave. Sit near a window for fresh air, wear a mask in crowds and carry water. If the patient feels faint or unwell before leaving, tell the nurse rather than setting off.
Can the blood test before treatment be done in our district?
Often yes, if your treating team agrees and the laboratory is reliable. The result has to reach the team in time for them to decide whether treatment goes ahead. Ask them which tests they will accept from outside, and how they want the report sent to them.
Does Aarogyasri cover travel or stay?
Schemes such as Aarogyasri and PM-JAY are built mainly around approved treatment in empanelled hospitals. Travel and lodging are usually your own cost. Rules change and differ between schemes, so check the current position with the scheme help desk or the hospital's scheme counter before you plan around them.
Who should come with the patient?
Ideally the same adult each time, who knows the plan, carries the folder and can speak for the patient if needed. It helps if that person is the one who will take decisions, or can reach them quickly by phone. Avoid bringing small children to the treatment area where possible.
What if we cannot reach Hyderabad on a treatment date?
Call the team as early as you can, before the date. They can tell you whether the date can move and by how much. Do not skip treatment or change medicines on your own. A short, planned delay is very different from a missed date that nobody knew about.
Should we stay in Hyderabad for the whole treatment?
Usually only if the plan needs frequent checks, a hospital stay, or the patient is too unwell to travel safely. For many day-care plans, staying near the hospital for the testing phase and travelling from home afterwards is enough. Ask your haematologist which pattern fits your plan.
Can follow-up visits after treatment be done locally?
Some can. Routine blood tests and a check-up with a local doctor may be shared, with scans and key reviews in Hyderabad. This depends on your type of lymphoma and how treatment went. Ask for a written follow-up plan that both doctors can see.
How do we get a cost estimate before we start?
Share the biopsy report and the proposed plan with the hospital's billing or scheme desk. They can give an indicative estimate and tell you what your scheme or insurer is likely to pay. Add your own travel, stay and food to that figure, because those are rarely included.
What moves the figure
What affects the cost
Four things change the total more than anything else.
The technique used
A shaped or image-guided delivery costs more than a conventional one, and is chosen on clinical grounds rather than preference.
How many sessions
The total is driven by the number of sittings or cycles, not by a single per-visit figure.
Supporting tests
Scans, blood work and pathology done alongside treatment are billed separately.
Your cover
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance usually change the out-of-pocket figure substantially.
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.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Your Haematologist
Meet CION's haematologist. One specialist for your blood report and your plan.
Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews blood counts, transfusion needs and blood disorders, and works with the CION tumour board on blood cancers.
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. A haematology consultation can be booked at any of these centres through one helpline, and your team will tell you where each test or treatment takes place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment (PDQ) - Patient Version
- National Cancer Institute — Infection During Cancer Treatment
- Cancer.Net — Financial Considerations
- National Health Authority — Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY
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
Getting Lymphoma Chemotherapy Closer to HomeWhich parts of treatment a local hospital can shareLymphoma Under Aarogyasri and NTR Vaidya SevaWhat the state schemes pay forLymphoma Treatment Cost in India by TypeHow the treatment bill itself variesLymphoma Access, Cost and ChoiceEvery cost and access guide in one place
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Planning travel for treatment?
Share the reports you have. CION's haematology team will explain which visits need to be in Hyderabad and what can be arranged nearer home. One helpline serves every CION centre.