Amaravati, September 20, 2026 (Journalist File): Cancer patients in Andhra Pradesh will soon have access to advanced genetic testing within the state, with a specialised laboratory being established at the NATCO Cancer Centre on the premises of Government General Hospital (GGH), Guntur.
The laboratory, being set up over 2,000 square feet at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore, is expected to be inaugurated on September 22 by Health and Medical Education Minister Y. Satya Kumar Yadav. The necessary equipment has already been made available.
The facility is being developed through a collaboration between the Andhra Pradesh government, AstraZeneca and Strand Life Sciences. The initiative is part of the state's broader programme to introduce genomics and precision oncology into the public healthcare system. Andhra Pradesh and AstraZeneca had earlier announced plans for an integrated genomics centre in Amaravati, involving Strand Life Sciences and AI-based healthcare technologies.
Genetic profile to guide cancer treatment
Initially, genetic testing will be offered to patients with breast and lung cancers. Samples collected from patients will undergo specialised molecular analysis to identify genetic alterations in cancer cells.
The results will provide doctors with additional information to determine appropriate treatment and monitor patients during different stages of care, from diagnosis and treatment planning to follow-up.
At present, some samples requiring specialised genetic testing are sent to laboratories in cities such as Bengaluru and Mumbai. The new facility is intended to eliminate the need for patients to depend on centres outside Andhra Pradesh.
Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said the genetic tests would be provided free of cost to patients under the programme. He noted that similar tests at private facilities can cost between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 25,000 per test, while comprehensive genetic testing can cost up to Rs. 75,000.
The Minister said the initiative would make advanced diagnostic facilities more accessible to cancer patients in the state. He also said that revolutionary changes were taking place in the healthcare sector under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, with the government focusing on modern medical technologies and improved healthcare services.
2,000 samples to be tested in two years
Strand Life Sciences will provide technical support for the laboratory, which is being designed to test around 2,000 samples over two years.
AstraZeneca will support the cost of genetic testing for 1,000 breast cancer patients and 1,000 lung cancer patients under the initial programme.
The tests will examine clinically relevant genetic alterations, including BRCA1 and BRCA2 in breast cancer and EGFR, KRAS, NRAS and BRAF among the markers associated with lung cancer.
The results could help doctors identify molecular characteristics of individual cancers and consider treatment options that correspond to those findings.
Amaravati centre planned
The Guntur laboratory is being developed as a pilot project, with plans to establish a larger, state-level genomic testing facility in the Amaravati Quantum Valley.
The proposed centre is expected to handle a higher volume of genetic tests and become part of a state-wide genomic information system.
The larger programme envisages bringing together genetic sequencing, artificial intelligence and clinical information to support early cancer detection and personalised treatment.
AI-based screening for lung cancer
Artificial intelligence will also be used to strengthen cancer screening. Under the proposed programme, chest X-rays will be analysed with AI-assisted systems to identify suspicious abnormalities in lung images for further medical evaluation.
Officials are planning to examine up to 60,000 chest X-rays over two years through the initiative.
Breast cancer screening is also proposed to be strengthened as part of the early-detection component.
Genomic database under consideration
The state is also considering a comprehensive genomic information centre that could maintain genetic information from healthy individuals as well as patients with rare diseases.
Such a database, subject to appropriate safeguards and governance, could support future medical research, development of diagnostic methods and research into personalised therapies.
A longer-term proposal also envisages developing blood-based screening methods capable of detecting early signals associated with multiple cancers. The plan includes research aimed at detecting markers linked to up to 14 types of cancer, though such applications would require scientific validation before routine population-wide use.
Expansion of cancer care at Guntur GGH
The genetic testing laboratory adds another advanced diagnostic component to the NATCO Cancer Centre at Guntur GGH. The hospital already has a PET-CT facility that was inaugurated earlier this year as part of the expansion of specialised cancer services.
Director of Medical Education A. Vishnuvardhan said the genetic testing laboratory would initially focus on breast and lung cancer patients.
He said identifying genetic changes in cancer cells would provide doctors with additional information for deciding appropriate treatment and would strengthen the state's move towards precision-based cancer care.
