Hematologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Choosing a CAR-T centre in India: questions to ask | CION Cancer Clinics
Choose a CAR-T centre that is authorised for the product or trial you are offered and can manage its serious reactions at any hour. Look for a haematology team that gives CAR-T regularly, an intensive care unit in the same hospital, quick neurology support and a clear follow-up plan. Expect to stay near the centre for some weeks after the infusion. This guide lists the questions to ask each centre. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team supports patients and families through treatment, cost questions and life at home.
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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
- What makes a centre ready to give CAR-T safely?
- What happens between referral and the CAR-T infusion?
- Which questions should you ask a CAR-T centre?
- What do families often believe about CAR-T that is not true?
- What should the cost estimate spell out?
- What can this page not tell you, and how can CION help?
- Common questions about choosing a CAR-T centre
The short answer
What makes a centre ready to give CAR-T safely?
A CAR-T centre in India should be approved to give the specific product or trial you are being offered, and should be able to handle its serious side effects at any hour. That means a haematology team experienced with CAR-T, an intensive care unit in the same hospital, and fast access to a neurologist.
What CAR-T is, in plain words
CAR-T is a treatment made from your own immune cells. White cells called T cells are collected from your blood, changed in a laboratory so they can find the cancer, and then given back through a drip. It is used for some blood cancers that have come back or have not responded to earlier treatment, such as certain lymphomas and leukaemias.
Who it does not suit
CAR-T is not a first treatment, and it is not offered for every blood cancer. It may not suit you if your disease type is not one it is approved or being tested for, if you have an active infection, or if your heart, lungs or kidneys are not strong enough. Your haematologist weighs this before any centre is chosen.
India now has CAR-T made within the country, as well as clinical trials. Which options are open to you changes over time, so ask what is available now.
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After a CAR-T infusion, this cannot wait
If the person who received CAR-T has a fever, shivering, sudden breathlessness, dizziness, confusion, trouble speaking, unusual sleepiness or a fit, contact the CAR-T team straight away and go to the treating centre's emergency department. If you cannot reach it quickly, call 108 or go to the nearest emergency department and say the person has had CAR-T. Do not wait to see whether it settles.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistFrom referral to infusion
What happens between referral and the CAR-T infusion?
Eligibility review
The CAR-T team reads your diagnosis, biopsy and earlier treatment, and checks your heart, lungs, kidneys and infection status. They decide whether CAR-T is a real option for you.
Collecting your T cells
Blood is taken through a machine that keeps the T cells and returns the rest to you. This is called apheresis. Ask whether the centre does it on site or sends you elsewhere.
Waiting while the cells are made
The cells are built in a laboratory, which takes some weeks. You may need treatment in the meantime to keep the disease in check. This is called bridging therapy.
Preparing chemotherapy and infusion
A short course of chemotherapy makes room for the new cells. Then the CAR-T cells are given through a drip, often in a single sitting.
Close watching afterwards
The first weeks carry the main risk of serious reactions. You will be asked to stay in or near the centre and keep a carer with you at all times.
Comparing centres
Which questions should you ask a CAR-T centre?
Take these to each centre. Plain answers are a good sign. Vague ones are worth a second conversation.
Is this an approved product or a trial?
Both can be reasonable. A trial may lower the cost, but it has its own rules, consent forms and visits. Ask for the details in writing.
How often do they give CAR-T?
A team that treats CAR-T patients regularly is more likely to spot a reaction early. Ask how many people with your disease they have treated.
Who handles the reactions?
Two reactions need quick action: cytokine release syndrome, a fever-like storm from the immune system, and nerve and brain effects that cause confusion.
Ask about
- An intensive care bed inside the hospital
- A neurologist available at short notice
- The medicines for these reactions kept on site
What happens if manufacturing fails?
Sometimes the cells cannot be made to the standard needed. Ask what the plan is then, and whether any money is refunded.
What follow-up is planned?
Counts can stay low for a while, and infections are a risk for months. Ask who follows you up once you return home.
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Commonly believed
What do families often believe about CAR-T that is not true?
"CAR-T works for every blood cancer."
It is used for particular types, mostly certain lymphomas, leukaemias and myeloma, and usually after other treatment has not worked. For many blood cancers it is not an option at all. Your haematologist can tell you whether your diagnosis is one of them.
"It is one drip, so we can go home the same day."
The infusion is short, but the serious reactions tend to appear in the days and weeks after it. You will be asked to stay in hospital or close by. Families from districts need to plan for this stay.
"If it is made in India, any hospital can give it."
CAR-T is given only at centres set up and trained for it. A hospital with a good general reputation may still not be one of them. Ask whether the centre is authorised for the product you are being offered.
"CAR-T replaces the need for a transplant."
For some people CAR-T comes before, after or instead of a transplant. For others, a transplant remains the plan. The order depends on your disease and history, and it is a decision for your treating team.
Before you commit
What should the cost estimate spell out?
- The cell collection, the manufacturing and the infusion
- Bridging treatment while the cells are being made
- Intensive care, if a reaction needs it
- Medicines for reactions and infections
- Blood tests, scans and follow-up visits
- What is refunded if the cells cannot be made
Being straight with you
What can this page not tell you, and how can CION help?
This page cannot tell you whether CAR-T suits you, which centre to choose, or how well it will work for you. Those answers depend on your exact diagnosis, what treatment you have had, how the disease has behaved, and your overall health. Only a haematologist who has read your full reports can discuss your own outlook.
What CION does and does not do
CION does not give CAR-T or collect cells for it. Our haematology team reviews your reports, discusses your case at a tumour board, and explains whether CAR-T, a transplant or another treatment is worth considering. If CAR-T is a reasonable option, we help coordinate access to qualified centres and prepare you with the questions on this page.
Paying for CAR-T
CAR-T is expensive, and costs vary between products, trials and centres. Insurance cover differs from policy to policy, and government schemes such as Aarogyasri, PM-JAY, CGHS, ECHS and EHS may or may not include it. Scheme rules change, so check the current position in writing before you commit. There is no EMI offer from CION.
Ask your insurer for pre-approval before cell collection starts, not after.Questions we are asked
Common questions about choosing a CAR-T centre
Is CAR-T available in Hyderabad?
Availability in each city changes as more centres are authorised and trials open. Ask your haematologist which centres are currently giving the product or trial that suits your disease. Being close to home helps with the stay afterwards, but readiness to handle reactions matters more than distance.
How do I know if I am eligible for CAR-T?
Eligibility depends on your cancer type, what treatment you have already had, how the disease responded, and your organ function and fitness. A CAR-T team makes the final call after reviewing your reports and tests. Bring your biopsy, scans and treatment summaries to that first review.
Is a clinical trial a safe way to get CAR-T?
Trials are run under approved protocols with ethics committee oversight, and they can open access to treatment. They also carry unknowns and extra visits. Read the consent form with a family member, ask what happens if you want to stop, and ask who pays for complications.
How long will we need to stay near the centre?
Most centres ask you to stay in hospital or nearby for some weeks after the infusion, with a carer always present. The exact period is set by the centre and depends on how you recover. Ask early, so the family can arrange work, travel and a place to stay.
Can I drive after CAR-T?
Usually not for a period, because confusion or drowsiness can appear without warning. Your centre will tell you how long to avoid driving and operating machinery. Plan for a family member to handle travel to and from follow-up visits during that time.
What if my disease grows while the cells are being made?
This is why bridging treatment exists. The team watches the disease closely during the wait and may adjust the plan. Ask the centre how it handles this, and how long the wait for your cells usually is at that centre.
Should I get a second opinion before agreeing to CAR-T?
It is reasonable, especially given the cost and the commitment involved. A second opinion can confirm whether CAR-T is the right next step, or whether a transplant or another treatment should come first. Ask for it early, so the review does not delay a time-sensitive decision.
Can CION refer me to a CAR-T centre?
Our haematology team can review your case, take it to a tumour board and, if CAR-T looks reasonable, help coordinate a referral to a qualified centre. Bring your biopsy report, scans, treatment history and recent blood tests, so the CAR-T team has everything at the first visit.
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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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. 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 — CAR T Cells: Engineering Patients' Immune Cells to Treat Their Cancers
- Cancer Research UK — CAR T-cell therapy
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society — Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapy
- American Society of Hematology — Blood cancers: patient 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
Transplant Centre Selection CriteriaIf a transplant is being weighed alongside CAR-TWhen a Haematology Second Opinion Is Worth ItBefore agreeing to a costly, high-commitment treatmentImmunotherapy guideHow immune-based treatments work more broadlySecond Opinions and Choosing a Haematology CentreEvery guide on second opinions and choosing care
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Wondering whether CAR-T is an option?
Share your reports with CION's haematology team. We will review your case, explain the options being considered, and help coordinate access to a qualified centre.