Sam Neill has shared a major update on his health during a live TV appearance, after his chemotherapy treatment stopped working.
The actor—known for roles in Jurassic Park and TV series including Peaky Blinders—revealed in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. He began an intensive treatment plan soon after, hoping to keep the illness under control.
But as time went on, the medication that had been helping him began to lose its effect, leaving the star facing an uncertain situation—until an experimental option became available.
“I was on chemotherapy. Pretty miserable business, but it was keeping me alive,”
Neill told 7NEWS, explaining that the chemotherapy later stopped working altogether.
“I was at a loss, and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal, obviously,”
Neill said, before sharing that he was eventually able to access CAR T-cell therapy—a specialised approach that genetically modifies a patient’s blood cells and is currently being studied in clinical trials in the region.
According to Neill, the newer approach made an immediate difference.
”I’ve had a scan just now, and there is no cancer in my body. This is an extraordinary thing.”
Hematologist Miles Prince also discussed the process behind the treatment.
‘[we] turbocharge those cells to then be able to now recognize the myeloma, which was not visible to the immune system before and then jump on it and kill it.’
Neill described the treatment as “science at its best” and said the experience has renewed his enthusiasm to get back to work.
“It’s time I did another movie!”
The upbeat news is a stark contrast to the difficult period Neill described when he first went public about his cancer battle.
“I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments,”
he previously told the Guardian.
“But those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends. Just pleased to be alive.”
Common symptoms of T-cell lymphoma are:
You may also have symptoms called B symptoms, which are commonly caused by lymphoma:
Doctors are interested in B symptoms because it helps them decide the stage of the lymphoma and how to treat it.