What Does Skin Cancer Treatment Really Cost — in Hyderabad?

The free first consultation is a 45-minute session where an oncologist reviews your biopsy and scan reports, examines the lesion, and explains which treatment paths — surgery, radiation or immunotherapy — apply to your case. Your case is then discussed by CION's tumour board before a written cost estimate is prepared. There is no charge for this visit or for the tumour board review. You leave with a clear idea of which treatment options apply to you and roughly what each would involve, before any cost commitment or consent form is signed.

Yes. After the free consultation and tumour board review, CION gives you an itemised, written estimate that lists surgery, admission, scans and medicine costs separately, rather than one lump-sum figure. If your stage, cancer type or reconstruction need changes after further tests, you receive a revised estimate in writing, not just a verbal update. Keep this written estimate for your records — it is useful when applying for a loan, claiming Aarogyasri or insurance, or comparing quotes from another hospital before you sign any consent form.

Aarogyasri can cover part of the cost of eligible skin cancer surgeries for qualifying Telangana families, but package rates rarely stretch to the full cost of radiation or immunotherapy. Private insurance with a cashless network may cover surgery and radiation depending on your policy, while newer immunotherapy drugs are often only partly covered or excluded. CGHS and ESI beneficiaries should check empanelment status for the specific treatment, not just the hospital. Ask CION during your free consultation which parts of your estimate are likely to be covered under your scheme, and get this checked in writing before treatment starts.

Reconstruction is usually billed as a separate line item, not folded into the base surgery cost. A small, early skin cancer removed with a simple excision may need only stitches, closer to the ₹40,000–₹1,20,000 range. A larger lesion, or one on the face, ear or scalp, may need a skin graft or flap reconstruction by a plastic surgeon, which can push the total to ₹1,50,000–₹3,00,000 or more. CION's itemised estimate lists the excision, the reconstruction and the admission days separately, so you can see exactly what reconstruction adds to your bill before agreeing to it.

Immunotherapy uses biologic drugs given as repeated cycles over several months, and each cycle alone can cost ₹80,000–₹1,50,000, so a full course of 4 to 12 or more cycles adds up quickly. Surgery, by contrast, is usually a one-time procedure. Immunotherapy is generally used for melanoma or advanced skin cancers that have spread, where surgery alone is no longer enough — it is not offered as a routine alternative to a simple excision. Most early, localised skin cancers do not need immunotherapy at all, so ask CION plainly whether your specific case qualifies before budgeting for it.

Before biopsy results confirm the stage, it is safest to budget for the diagnostic workup first — biopsy, imaging and any other recommended tests, typically ₹15,000–₹60,000 — and treat the rest as a range rather than a fixed number. Ask CION for a written estimate covering the most likely scenario and a higher-stage scenario, so your family can plan a loan or savings around the wider range instead of a single figure that may change. Once the final stage and type are confirmed, CION updates this in writing so you are not budgeting on guesswork for long.