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Radiation Therapy · Theranostics & Radioisotope Therapy
Cost of Theranostics and Radioisotope Therapy in India — Indicative Per-Cycle Ranges
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kirti Ranjan Mohanty, Radiation Oncologist, MBBS · MD (Radiation Oncology), Senior Consultant · Last reviewed August 2026
A single cycle of Lu-177 PSMA therapy in India typically costs roughly ₹3.5 lakh to ₹7 lakh — indicative only, as of August 2026 — and most protocols run four to six cycles. The number you are quoted on the phone is almost always per cycle, not per course. This page separates the two, adds the costs that sit outside the quote, and is honest about what insurance and government schemes actually do here.
- Per cycle is not per course — Ask how many cycles are planned before you compare two centres on price.
- Every figure dated, none of it a quote — Indicative bands as of August 2026, moving with isotope dose, facility and city.
- Insurance and schemes checked first — We check your specific policy and scheme eligibility before cycle one, not after.
- Coordinating from another city or abroad — Written cost plan, cycle schedule and isolation-stay plan in a single email.
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The short answer
What does one cycle of theranostics or radioisotope therapy cost in India?
One cycle of Lu-177 PSMA therapy in India typically costs roughly ₹3.5 lakh to ₹7 lakh — indicative only, as of August 2026. Most protocols run four to six cycles, so the per-cycle number is not the cost of your treatment. I-131 radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer costs far less per admission. The figure moves with isotope dose, the centre and the city.
That single sentence is where most cost pages stop, and it is also where most families get caught out. A quote you are given over the phone is almost always per cycle. Your own total depends on how many cycles your team plans, how many scans sit between them, and whether an isolation-room admission is part of each cycle. Before you compare two centres, make sure you are comparing the same thing: ask both for a written estimate covering the full protocol, not one dose.
Theranostics is the approach of pairing a scan with a matched treatment — a scan first confirms the target is present, and only then is a treating isotope considered. If the idea itself is new to you, read Theranostics: Treatment With Radioactive Medicine Explained before you read a price. Radioisotope therapy and PET-CT are delivered at NABH-accredited partner nuclear-medicine facilities; CION Cancer Clinics coordinates your treatment plan, your oncology team and your care throughout. Whether this therapy is appropriate for you is a clinical decision your team makes with you — it is not a decision cost should make on its own.
Every rupee figure on this page is indicative only, as of August 2026. None of it is a quote, and none of it replaces a written estimate from the treating team.
Did you know?
The word “theranostics” comes from pairing a diagnostic scan with a matched therapy: the same targeting approach carries a scanning isotope first, and a treating isotope afterwards. This is why a PET-CT scan appears on your bill before the very first therapy cycle — guideline bodies including NCCN describe scan-confirmed uptake of the target as the step that decides whether radioisotope therapy is an option at all. A scan that does not show the target is the reason some patients are told this route is not for them.
Indicative ranges by therapy
What does each type of radioisotope therapy cost per cycle?
Indicative bands only, as of August 2026, across NABH-accredited partner nuclear-medicine facilities in India. Ranges are deliberately wide because the isotope dose, the facility and the city all move the number. Use this as a planning worksheet, not a quote.
| Therapy | Usually considered for | Indicative cost per cycle* | Typical number of cycles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lu-177 PSMA therapy | Advanced prostate cancer that has progressed after standard treatment, with a scan confirming the target | ₹3.5 lakh – ₹7 lakh | Usually 4 – 6 |
| Lu-177 therapy for neuroendocrine tumours | Advanced neuroendocrine tumours with confirmed receptor uptake on a scan | ₹4 lakh – ₹8 lakh | Usually 4 |
| I-131 radioiodine therapy | Thyroid cancer, most often after surgery | ₹40,000 – ₹1.75 lakh per admission | Usually 1, sometimes repeated |
| Ra-223 therapy | Prostate cancer that has spread to bone | ₹3 lakh – ₹5.5 lakh per injection | Usually up to 6 |
| Diagnostic PET-CT (before and between cycles) | Confirms the target is present, then tracks how the disease is responding | ₹18,000 – ₹40,000 per scan | Usually 2 – 4 across a protocol |
*Indicative only, as of August 2026. These are typical bands reported across Indian partner facilities, not a price list and not an offer. Your own figure depends on the dose prescribed for you, the facility, and how many cycles your tumour board plans — ask for it in writing before you commit to anything.
Reading a quote properly
Why do two quotes for the same therapy differ so much?
Four things account for most of the gap between one centre’s number and another’s. None of them are visible in a headline price.
Isotope dose
The dose is the biggest line item
The radioisotope itself is the dominant cost in each cycle. A higher prescribed dose costs more, and doses are set clinically for your body and your disease — not chosen to hit a budget.
Where it is delivered
Facility and isolation-room class
Radioisotope therapy needs a licensed nuclear-medicine facility, and some protocols need a shielded isolation room. Room class and length of stay change the per-cycle total noticeably.
Scans in the protocol
Some quotes include the PET-CT, some don’t
A quote that looks cheaper may simply have left the eligibility scan and the interval scans out. Ask explicitly whether imaging is inside or outside the number you have been given.
Number of cycles
Per cycle is not per course
Four cycles versus six changes the total by lakhs. Ask how many cycles are planned, and what would trigger stopping early or adding more, before you compare two centres on price.
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Not Sure What Your Full Protocol Would Cost?
One consultation covers how many cycles are likely, the indicative cost of each, and what your policy or scheme is realistically likely to pay.
Insurance, honestly
Is theranostics or Lu-177 PSMA therapy covered by insurance in India?
Sometimes, partly, and never assume. Many private health policies do reimburse radioisotope therapy when it is prescribed for an approved indication and delivered as an inpatient admission. But sub-limits, waiting periods, day-care clauses and exclusions for newer therapies often reduce what is actually paid — sometimes to a fraction of the cycle cost.
The single most useful thing you can do is get the answer in writing before the first cycle, not after it. Insurers assess radioisotope therapy case by case, and the deciding factors are usually the written indication from your oncologist, whether the facility is in the insurer’s network, and whether the admission is coded as inpatient care rather than a day procedure. Pre-authorisation asked for early is far more likely to be approved than a reimbursement claim raised afterwards.
Government schemes are a different picture again. Radioisotope therapy is not consistently listed across scheme packages, and what is covered varies by state, by package and by empanelled centre. Do not plan a full protocol around a scheme until someone has checked your specific eligibility against the specific therapy. Our scheme desk does that check as part of the free consultation — it is not a separate step you have to arrange yourself.
What to ask your insurer before the first cycle
- Is this therapy covered under my policy at all? — ask by therapy name and indication, not just “cancer treatment”.
- Is there a sub-limit per cycle or per policy year? — a policy can cover the therapy and still cap what it pays each cycle.
- Does the facility need to be in your network? — cashless usually depends on this; reimbursement may not.
- Is the eligibility PET-CT covered, or only the therapy? — scans are often assessed separately from the treatment.
- Will you pre-authorise before cycle one? — get the approval letter in writing, with the amount, before you schedule.
- What happens if the protocol is extended? — ask now whether extra cycles need fresh approval.
Nothing on this page is a coverage guarantee. What your policy pays is decided by your insurer against your own policy wording.
Beyond the per-cycle price
What are the extra costs beyond the per-cycle price?
The per-cycle number covers the isotope and its administration. It usually leaves out the eligibility scan, the isolation-room stay, blood tests between cycles, interval scans, and travel and accommodation for a family coming from another city. Together these commonly add a meaningful amount on top of the therapy line — indicative, as of August 2026.
- The eligibility PET-CT — the scan that confirms the target is present, typically ₹18,000 – ₹40,000, indicative as of August 2026. It is done before the first cycle, and it is the scan that decides whether this route is open to you at all.
- The isolation-room stay — several protocols need a shielded room for a day or more per cycle. Room class and length of stay drive the cost. See The Isolation Room Stay During Radioisotope Therapy for what those days actually involve.
- Blood tests and organ-function monitoring — kidney and blood-count checks are done before and between cycles, and are often billed separately from the therapy.
- Interval scans — imaging partway through a protocol to see how things are going. Ask whether these are inside or outside the quote you were given.
- Consultations and supportive care — reviews with your oncologist, plus any supportive medicines your team prescribes around each cycle.
- Travel, stay and an attendant — a protocol spread across several months means several trips. For a family travelling in, this is often the second-largest cost after the isotope itself; our page on the hidden costs of radiation therapy breaks that side down.
- The precautions period at home — some households need a separate room or bathroom for a short window after each cycle. Living With Someone After Radioisotope Therapy: Household Rules sets out what is actually required.
A framework, not a recommendation
How do I plan for the total cost of a full protocol?
Five steps, in this order. Each one narrows the range before you have to commit money.
- Confirm eligibility first. The scan comes before the costing. There is no point budgeting a six-cycle protocol until a scan has confirmed the target is there and your oncologist has said this route is appropriate for you.
- Ask how many cycles are planned. Get the number, and get what would change it. This single question moves your total more than any other.
- Get the estimate in writing, itemised. Isotope, administration, isolation-room stay, scans, tests and consultations as separate lines — so you can see what a rival quote has quietly left out.
- Settle insurance and scheme eligibility before cycle one. Pre-authorisation in writing, with an amount. Do not start a protocol assuming a claim will be honoured later.
- Add your own travel, stay and time-off numbers. These are personal to your household and no centre can quote them for you — but they belong in the total you plan around.
Coordinating from outside the city or from abroad? Families arranging this from another country usually want three things in one email before anyone books a flight: an indicative written cost across the full protocol, a cycle schedule with dates, and a plan for the isolation-room stay and the precautions period afterwards. Ask for all three together — it is a routine request, and it saves a great deal of back-and-forth across time zones.
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Common questions
Theranostics and radioisotope therapy cost — your questions answered
What does one cycle of Lu-177 PSMA therapy cost in India?
One cycle typically costs roughly ₹3.5 lakh to ₹7 lakh, indicative only, as of August 2026. That band is wide on purpose: the radioisotope dose is the dominant cost in each cycle, and the dose is set clinically for you, not chosen to fit a budget. The facility and the city move the number too. Most protocols run four to six cycles, so treat the per-cycle figure as one line in a longer plan, and ask for a written, itemised estimate covering the whole protocol before you compare centres.
What does a full course of theranostics or radioisotope therapy cost?
It depends almost entirely on how many cycles are planned. At the indicative per-cycle bands on this page, a four-to-six cycle Lu-177 protocol runs into several lakhs in total, while a single I-131 radioiodine admission for thyroid cancer sits at ₹40,000 to ₹1.75 lakh — both indicative only, as of August 2026. On top of the cycles, budget for the eligibility PET-CT, interval scans, blood tests, any isolation-room stay, and your own travel and accommodation. Ask your team for the planned number of cycles first; nothing else changes the total as much.
Is theranostics covered by health insurance in India?
Sometimes, partly, and never assume. Many private policies do reimburse radioisotope therapy when it is prescribed for an approved indication and delivered as an inpatient admission, but sub-limits, waiting periods, day-care clauses and exclusions for newer therapies often reduce what is actually paid. Insurers assess these cases individually. Get pre-authorisation in writing, with an amount, before the first cycle rather than raising a reimbursement claim afterwards — approval asked for early is far more likely to be granted. Nothing here is a coverage guarantee; your own policy wording decides.
Do Aarogyasri or Ayushman Bharat cover radioisotope therapy?
Radioisotope therapy is not consistently listed across government scheme packages, and what is covered varies by state, by package and by the empanelled centre. The honest answer is that it has to be checked for your specific situation rather than assumed from a general rule. Do not plan a full protocol around a scheme until someone has checked your eligibility against the specific therapy and the specific facility. Our scheme desk runs that check as part of the free consultation, before you commit to anything.
What extra costs should I budget for beyond the per-cycle price?
The per-cycle number usually covers the isotope and its administration only. Budget separately for the eligibility PET-CT (roughly ₹18,000 to ₹40,000, indicative as of August 2026), any isolation-room stay, blood and organ-function tests before and between cycles, interval scans, consultations and supportive care, and your own travel, accommodation and time off work across a protocol that may span months. Ask explicitly which of these sit inside the quote you have been given — the cheapest-looking quote is often the one that excludes the most.
Can we arrange and pay for this from outside India?
Yes, and it is a routine request. Families coordinating from abroad usually ask for three things in one email before anyone books a flight: an indicative written cost across the full protocol, a cycle schedule with dates, and a plan for the isolation-room stay and the household precautions period afterwards. Ask for all three together. Share the diagnosis and recent scan reports up front so the estimate is built around what your relative actually needs rather than a generic price list.
All costs on this page are indicative only, as of August 2026, and reflect typical bands reported across NABH-accredited partner nuclear-medicine facilities in India. They are not a quote, are not an offer, do not constitute a coverage guarantee under any scheme or insurance policy, and are not a substitute for a written estimate from your own oncology team. CION Cancer Clinics does not own or operate radiotherapy or nuclear-medicine equipment and is not itself NABH-accredited; radioisotope therapy and PET-CT are delivered at NABH-accredited partner centres, and CION coordinates the plan, the team and the care.