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Isolated limb perfusion in India: availability and cost | CION Cancer Clinics
Isolated limb perfusion is offered at only a small number of large cancer centres in India, mostly in the bigger cities. There is no fixed price. The total depends on the operation, intensive care, the length of stay and the tests before and after. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance can change what you pay. This page explains each part and what to ask a centre. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Where is isolated limb perfusion available in India, and what does it cost?
- What goes into the bill for limb perfusion?
- How do you get from a referral to an estimate you can plan around?
- Does isolated limb infusion cost less than perfusion?
- What should you ask a centre before you agree?
- What do families assume about the cost, and what is true?
- How do Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and insurance usually work for this?
- Common questions about limb perfusion cost and availability
The short answer
Where is isolated limb perfusion available in India, and what does it cost?
Isolated limb perfusion is performed at only a small number of large cancer centres in India, mostly in the bigger cities. There is no fixed price. The total depends on the operation, the stay, intensive care and the tests around it, and a scheme or insurance can change what you pay a great deal.
Why so few centres offer it
It needs a surgical oncologist experienced in the operation, a perfusionist to run the pump, a nuclear medicine team to check for leaks, and an intensive care unit used to watching the limb afterwards. It is used for a small group of people, mainly with melanoma or sarcoma confined to one limb, so few centres do enough to keep all of that ready.
What this page can and cannot tell you
It explains what makes up the cost, how schemes and insurance usually treat it, and what to ask a centre. It cannot give you a figure. A number on a web page is not a quote. The one that matters is the written estimate for your own treatment, from the centre that will carry it out.
Where the money goes
What goes into the bill for limb perfusion?
The operation is only one part. Families who budget only for the surgery are often caught out by the rest.
Tests before the operation
Scans to check the cancer has not spread, blood tests, heart checks and often a review of the biopsy. Bring every earlier report to avoid paying for repeats.
The operation itself
Theatre time, the surgical team, anaesthesia, the pump circuit, the perfusionist, the leak-check tracer and the drug. It may be billed as a package or item by item.
Intensive care and the ward
Many people spend the first night or longer in intensive care, then several days on the ward while the limb is watched. The length of stay moves the bill more than most items.
After you go home
Dressings, medicines, physiotherapy, follow-up visits, blood tests and later scans. If lymph nodes were removed, a compression garment may be needed.
Travel and stay
If the centre is in another city, add fares, a family member's stay near the hospital, and time off work for both of you.
The pathway
How do you get from a referral to an estimate you can plan around?
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Your current team raises the option
Usually your surgeon or oncologist suggests limb treatment when lumps keep returning in one limb. Ask which centres they refer to, and why.
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A review of your reports
The receiving centre looks at your biopsy, scans and treatment history before you travel. Many will do this from copies, which can save a wasted journey.
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Tests and a tumour board
You may need fresh scans and blood tests. Surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists then discuss your case together to decide whether perfusion, infusion or another treatment fits.
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A written estimate
Ask for an itemised estimate covering the operation, the likely stay, intensive care and follow-up. Ask what happens to the bill if you stay longer than planned.
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Scheme or insurance approval
The hospital sends the estimate and reports to your scheme or insurer for pre-authorisation, which means approval before admission. Leave time for it, because queries can add days.
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Side by side
Does isolated limb infusion cost less than perfusion?
Infusion is often less costly, but choosing between them is a medical decision, not a price decision.
Isolated limb perfusion
Isolated limb infusion
Perfusion is an open operation with a longer theatre time
Infusion uses tubes placed through the groin, usually a shorter procedure
Needs a pump with an oxygen unit and a perfusionist
No oxygen unit, so the circuit is simpler
A longer stay and intensive care are more likely
The stay may be shorter, though the limb still needs watching
Chosen for particular tumours and limbs
Chosen for others, and easier to repeat
Before you commit
What should you ask a centre before you agree?
- How often the team performs limb perfusion or infusion
- Whether the estimate is a package, and what it leaves out
- The expected stay, including any intensive care
- What happens to the bill if there is a complication
- Whether Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or your insurer is accepted for it
- Which follow-up visits and scans can be done nearer home
- Who to call after discharge, and at what hours
- Whether a second opinion on your reports is possible first
Commonly believed
What do families assume about the cost, and what is true?
"Only private insurance pays for something this specialised."
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS can cover cancer surgery at empanelled hospitals when it is part of an approved plan. Whether this particular procedure is covered depends on the scheme's packages and the hospital. Ask the hospital's scheme desk to check before you travel.
"If we go to another state, our scheme will not help."
Central schemes such as CGHS and ECHS work through empanelled hospitals in many cities. State schemes such as Aarogyasri usually apply within their own network. Cashless insurance depends on your insurer's network. Confirm each one in writing.
"The estimate is the final bill."
An estimate assumes a usual stay. A strong limb reaction, a longer intensive care stay or a second operation can raise it. Ask how the centre handles changes, and keep some room in your planning.
"The more expensive centre must be the more experienced one."
Price reflects room type, city and what the package includes, among other things. Experience is better judged by asking how often the team performs the procedure and how it handles problems.
Paying for it
How do Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and insurance usually work for this?
Once a scheme or insurer is involved, what you pay yourself is usually very different from the full bill. How much help you get depends on the scheme, the hospital and the paperwork.
Government schemes
Aarogyasri in Telangana, and the central CGHS and ECHS schemes, pay empanelled hospitals from set packages for approved cancer treatment. EHS covers Telangana state government employees and pensioners. A specialised procedure may be matched to a surgical package or need special approval, and items outside the package may be charged to you.
Cashless insurance
If the hospital is in your insurer's network, it sends the estimate and reports for pre-authorisation. Check your room rent limit, any co-payment and any cap on cancer treatment, since these can leave part of the bill with you. Keep copies of everything sent.
Who it does not suit, whatever the cost
Limb perfusion treats only one limb, so it is not offered when cancer has spread widely in the body. It may not suit people with badly narrowed limb arteries, or who cannot manage a long anaesthetic. Neither cost nor availability should decide it. Your treating team makes that judgement with you.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about limb perfusion cost and availability
How much does isolated limb perfusion cost in India?
There is no single figure. The total depends on the centre, the city, the length of stay, whether intensive care is needed and what the package includes. Ask for a written, itemised estimate after your reports are reviewed. With Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance, what you pay yourself can be much lower.
Is isolated limb perfusion available in Hyderabad?
Availability changes as surgeons and equipment move, so ask rather than assume. CION's surgical oncologists can review your reports, explain whether limb treatment is worth discussing and help you reach a centre that performs it, in Hyderabad or elsewhere. Call the helpline with your biopsy and scan reports ready.
Does Aarogyasri cover isolated limb perfusion?
Aarogyasri covers many cancer operations at empanelled hospitals as part of an approved plan, but cover for one specific procedure depends on the package list and the hospital. The hospital's Aarogyasri desk can check and apply for approval. Bring your card, Aadhaar and every report when you first visit.
Will my insurance pay for the intensive care stay?
Most policies cover intensive care within an approved admission, but limits on room rent, intensive care charges or cancer treatment can apply. Read the policy schedule, or ask the hospital's insurance desk to explain it. Ask what happens if you stay longer than the pre-authorisation allows.
Is limb infusion a cheaper option I can ask for?
Infusion is often less costly, but it is not simply a cheaper version. The two suit different tumours, limbs and situations. You can ask whether infusion was considered and why one was chosen. The decision should rest on what fits your cancer, not on price alone.
Can the follow-up be done nearer home?
Often some of it can. Wound checks, blood tests, physiotherapy and some scans may be possible nearer home, with reports sent to the treating surgeon. Early visits and decisions about further treatment usually stay with the centre that did the procedure. Agree the plan before you are discharged.
Should we get a second opinion before paying for this?
It is reasonable, especially for a specialised operation. A second opinion looks at the same reports and asks whether perfusion, infusion or another treatment fits. It need not delay care much if your papers are organised. Take the biopsy slides or blocks, scan images and a treatment summary.
What documents do we need for scheme or insurance approval?
Usually the biopsy report, recent scan reports, the surgeon's plan and estimate, identity proof and your scheme card or policy details. The hospital's desk sends these for approval. Missing papers often cause delays, so keep a full set of copies with you throughout.
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
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Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Melanoma Treatment (PDQ) - Patient Version
- Cancer Research UK — Soft tissue sarcoma
- Cancer.Net — Financial considerations
- American Cancer Society — Financial and insurance matters
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
Cost, Insurance and Schemes for Cancer SurgeryHow surgery bills, packages and claims workPerfusion vs Infusion: The DifferenceWhy one is chosen over the otherChoosing a Surgeon and a CentreWhat to weigh when comparing centresIsolated Limb Perfusion: What It IsThe treatment explained from the startIsolated Limb Perfusion and InfusionThe full guide to limb perfusion and infusion
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