This paper provides three classes of q-summation formulas in the form of general contiguous extensions of the first q-Kummer summation theorem. Their derivations are presented by using three methods, which are along the lines of the three types of well-known proofs of the q-Kummer summation theorem with a key role of the q-binomial theorem. In addition to the q-binomial theorem, the first proof makes use of Thomae’s q-integral representation and the second proof needs Heine’s transformation. Whereas the third proof utilizes only the q-binomial theorem. Subsequently, the applications of these summation formulas in obtaining the general contiguous extensions of the second and the third q-Kummer summation theorems are also presented. Furthermore, the investigated results are specialized to give many of the known as well as presumably new q-summation theorems, which are contiguous to the three q-Kummer summation theorems. This work is motivated by the observation that the basic (or q-) series and basic (or q-) polynomials, especially the basic (or q-) gamma and q-hypergeometric functions and basic (or q-) hypergeometric polynomials, are applicable particularly in several diverse areas including Number Theory, Theory of Partitions and Combinatorial Analysis as well as in the study of Combinatorial Generating Functions. Just as it is known in the theory of the Gauss, Kummer (or confluent), Clausen and the generalized hypergeometric functions, the parameters in the corresponding basic or quantum (or q-) hypergeometric functions are symmetric in the sense that they remain invariant when the order of the p numerator parameters or when the order of the q denominator parameters is arbitrarily changed. A case has therefore been made for the symmetry possessed not only by hypergeometric functions and basic or quantum (or q-) hypergeometric functions, which are studied in this paper, but also by the symmetric quantum calculus itself.