Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Is cancer surgery just a money-making business? | CION Cancer Clinics
No. For many cancers that are still in one place, removing the tumour is the treatment most likely to get rid of it, which is why surgery is advised. It is also expensive, and that is why the suspicion exists. This page gives you the questions that test whether an operation is being recommended for the right reasons, and explains what actually decides the cost. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Is cancer surgery recommended just to make money?
- Why do families feel they are being sold an operation?
- How do you check an operation is being advised for the right reasons?
- Signs of a sound recommendation, and signs to ask more
- Four things families say about surgeons and money
- Why does cancer surgery cost what it does?
- Common questions about surgery and money
The short answer
Is cancer surgery recommended just to make money?
No. Surgery is recommended because, for many cancers that are still in one place, removing the tumour is the treatment most likely to get rid of it. It is also expensive, and that is why the suspicion exists. The way to settle it is not to trust or distrust the doctor. It is to ask the questions on this page and to get a second opinion.
Why the worry is fair
A family that has just been handed a large estimate, a list of tests and a date has every reason to ask whether all of it is needed. Asking is not an insult to the surgeon. A sound recommendation survives the question, and a good surgeon expects it.
What a surgeon is actually weighing
Whether the cancer can be removed whole with a rim of healthy tissue around it. Whether you are fit enough for the anaesthetic. Whether another treatment would do as well with less risk. Those are the things to ask about, because the decision rests on them.
This page does not say whether your operation is needed. That depends on your reports, your fitness and your wishes, and only a surgical oncologist who has seen them can weigh it.Where the suspicion comes from
Why do families feel they are being sold an operation?
Usually it is not the surgery itself. It is one of these experiences around it.
Tests that seem to repeat
A scan done at one hospital is done again at the next. Often the first scan was the wrong type, too old, or not detailed enough to plan an operation. Ask which, and whether the earlier film can be used instead.
Nobody explained why
A recommendation delivered in two minutes with no reasons feels like a sale. The operation may still be right. Ask for a proper sitting where the surgeon shows you the scan and explains what is being removed, why, and what would happen without it.
The bill kept growing
The first figure covered the operation. The final one covered the ICU stay, the pathology, the medicines and a longer recovery. Ask for a written indicative estimate that lists what is included, and ask what usually pushes it up.
Ask specifically about
- ICU days, if any are expected
- Pathology and extra tests on the tissue
- What your scheme or insurer will cover
Someone else said it was unnecessary
A relative abroad, a neighbour, a WhatsApp forward. They have not seen your reports. Take the same reports to a second surgical oncologist and let two qualified opinions settle it.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe check
How do you check an operation is being advised for the right reasons?
Ask what the operation is for
Is it to remove the cancer completely, to make you comfortable, or to find out more? Each is a legitimate reason, but they are very different, and you should know which one you are being offered.
Ask what happens without it
A surgeon who cannot answer this plainly has not finished thinking. The answer tells you whether the operation is urgent, optional, or one of several routes.
Ask what the alternatives were
Radiotherapy, chemotherapy first, tablets, or watching and waiting. If the case went to a tumour board, ask what the other specialists said. If it did not, ask why not.
Get a written estimate and check your cover
Ask for an indicative estimate in writing, dated, that lists what is included. Then ask what Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or your cashless insurer will pay. The out-of-pocket figure is often very different from the one on the sheet.
Take the same reports to a second surgeon
At a different centre, with the same biopsy report and scans. If both surgeons say the same thing, the question is answered. If they differ, ask each one why, and let that difference be explained to you rather than guessed at.
Side by side
Signs of a sound recommendation, and signs to ask more
Reassuring
Ask more questions
The surgeon shows you the scan and says what is being removed
You are told only the name of the operation and a date
You are told what happens without surgery, and what the alternatives were
Every question is answered with "do not worry"
A second opinion is welcomed and your reports are handed over
You are discouraged from going elsewhere
A written, dated, itemised estimate with scheme cover explained
A single figure quoted verbally that changes each visit
The surgeon names who the operation would not suit
You are told the operation is right for everyone with this cancer
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Commonly believed
Four things families say about surgeons and money
"They operate on everyone who walks in."
A surgical oncologist turns people down for surgery regularly: when the cancer has spread too far for an operation to help, when the person is not fit enough for the anaesthetic, or when another treatment would do as well. Ask the surgeon who this operation would not suit. The answer tells you how they think.
"If the cancer comes back, the operation was a waste of money."
Cancer that returns after surgery usually came from cells that had already travelled before the operation, too small for any scan to show. That is why chemotherapy or radiotherapy is often advised afterwards. It does not mean the surgery was unnecessary or done for profit.
"Asking for a second opinion will offend the doctor."
Surgical oncologists expect it and most will hand you the reports to take. If a doctor discourages you from getting another view, that itself is a reason to get one. Two surgeons agreeing is often what finally settles a family's mind.
"The tests before surgery are just to run up the bill."
Blood tests, a heart check and a chest X-ray before an anaesthetic are standard everywhere, because they decide whether the operation is safe for you. Scans are repeated when the earlier one cannot be used to plan the surgery. Ask which tests are for safety and which are for planning, and why each is needed.
Being straight with you
Why does cancer surgery cost what it does?
An operation is paid for in surgeon and anaesthetist time, the theatre and its staff, the days on the ward or in the ICU, the pathology on what was removed, and the medicines around it. The figure varies with the operation and the recovery, which is why any number given before the day is an estimate and not a quote.
What changes the out-of-pocket figure most
Your cover. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS cover many cancer operations for those eligible, and most cashless insurers are empanelled at cancer centres. The sticker figure and what your family actually pays are often very different. Ask the centre to check your specific card before you decide anything.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your operation will cost, whether it is needed, or whether a cheaper route exists for you. Those depend on the type of cancer, its stage (how far it has spread), your fitness and your cover. Bring the reports and your scheme card to a surgical oncologist and ask there.
If you have been given an estimate you do not understand, call the helpline and read it out. Someone will explain what each line is for, and there is no charge for that.Questions we are asked
Common questions about surgery and money
How do I know the surgery is really needed?
Ask what the operation is for, what happens without it, and what the alternatives were. Then take the same reports to a second surgical oncologist at a different centre. If both say the same thing, the question is answered. No page and no relative can tell you this from outside your reports.
Why is the estimate so different from what my neighbour paid?
Different cancer, different operation, different recovery and different cover. An operation with an ICU stay costs more than a day-care procedure, and a family on Aarogyasri pays very differently from one paying cash. Compare your itemised estimate with your own cover, not with someone else's bill.
Can I get the estimate in writing before I agree?
Yes, and you should. Ask for a dated, itemised indicative estimate that lists the operation, the expected stay, pathology and medicines, and says what is not included. Then ask the centre to check what your scheme or insurer covers. It is an estimate, not a quote, but it should not be a mystery.
Will Aarogyasri or my insurance cover cancer surgery?
Often, when the operation is part of an approved cancer treatment plan. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted at CION, and most cashless insurers are empanelled. Cover varies with the scheme and the procedure, so bring your card and let the centre check before you decide.
Is a second opinion worth the extra consultation fee?
For a major operation, almost always. It is a small cost against the operation itself, and it is the single most reliable way to answer the question this page is about. Take the same biopsy report and scans so the second surgeon is judging the same evidence, not repeating the tests.
Why do I need new scans when I already had one?
Sometimes you do not, and you should ask whether the earlier film can be used. A scan is repeated when it is the wrong type for planning an operation, too old to trust, or not detailed enough. Ask which of those applies. A clear answer is reassuring; no answer is a reason to ask again.
Are the tests before the operation necessary?
The blood tests, heart check and chest X-ray before an anaesthetic are standard and are there for your safety. They decide whether the operation can go ahead and what the anaesthetist needs to plan for. Ask what each test is for. Every one should have a reason you can understand.
What if we cannot afford it at all?
Say so early, before the date. Ask the centre to check every scheme you may be eligible for, and ask whether a less costly but equally sound route exists for your cancer. Do not simply disappear. A team that knows the constraint can often find a way; one that does not know cannot.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- American Cancer Society — Cancer surgery
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Making treatment decisions
- Cancer.Net — Seeking a second opinion
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 SurgeryIndicative ranges and what Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS coverDeciding on Cancer SurgeryWhat the team weighs and what to askChoosing a Surgeon and a CentreHow to judge a centre without comparing gossipWhy Cancer Sometimes Returns Soon After SurgeryWhy a return does not mean the operation was wastedTalking to a Relative Who Refuses SurgeryWhen the money worry has become a no
Talk to us
Been given an estimate you do not understand?
Call the helpline and read it out, or send us the reports. A surgical oncologist will explain what each line is for and whether the operation is what they would advise. One helpline serves every CION centre.