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LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff
Sam Neill is back working, despite rare cancer diagnosis.
Kiwi actor Sam Neill, who revealed he has been receiving treatment for a rare form of blood cancer, is “very well” and back at work.
Neill’s personal assistant Lauren Folk Major thanked the fans for their support after he told the Guardian he is being treated for angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL).
“He is very well and back at work starring opposite Annette Bening in the upcoming limited series, Apples Never Fall,” said Falk Major.
Neill is releasing a memoir on Tuesday titled Did I Ever Tell You This?.
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Neill told the Guardian his book is not a cancer memoir, but rather his illness forms what he calls a “spiral thread” throughout the story.
“I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments,” he said. “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.”
What is angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma?
Leukaemia and blood cancer New Zealand says lymphomas are a “relative common form of cancer in Aotearoa-New Zealand, affecting about 800 Kiwis every year. There are more than 50 kinds of lymphoma, some are very rare.
The cancer Neill is receiving treatment for is a rare, often aggressive, or fast-growing, form of lymphoma.
This is one of a number of cancers that attack the immune system via the lymph nodes. The lymphatic system filters lymphatic fluid and white blood cells around the body, helping your body fight disease.
While non-life-threatening illnesses such as strep throat and chickenpox can cause our lymph nodes can swell, swelling can also, on rare occasions, signal the presence of cancer.
There are two types of Lymphoma: Hodgkins and Non Hodgkins, the chief difference being which kind of lymphocyte, or white blood cell, the cancer attacks. Cancer Research UK describes AITL as a non-Hodgkins Lymphoma that affects the T-cells, which fight infection. Because it affects the T-cells, AITL can impact organs beyond the lymphatic system.
Symptoms can include fevers, night sweats, skin rashes, and a form of anaemia, which results from the body’s immune system attacking its own cells and tissues.
The Lymphoma Research Foundation says diagnosis is most commonly by biopsy, and PET and MRI scans. Treatment is with corticosteroids, such as prednisone, and chemotherapy. Some research shows stem-cell therapy has “encouraging outcomes”.
According to his book, Neill’s lymphoma responded to a new drug therapy after chemo failed the first time round. His cancer is now in remission.
Kiwi actor and winemaker Sir Sam Neill, of Jurassic Park and The Piano fame, is the proprietor of Two Paddocks, a family vineyard based in Central Otago. He talks about the country’s unique wine.
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