Sam Neill Declares Himself Cancer Free Following CAR T-Cell Therapy

Sam Neill has announced he is now cancer free, crediting a breakthrough treatment after years of battling the disease.

The 78-year-old actor disclosed to Australian broadcaster 7News that he had been living with lymphoma for approximately five years, managing the condition through chemotherapy. While the treatment kept him alive, Neill described the experience as "pretty miserable business."

When his chemotherapy regimen stopped proving effective, Neill found himself in dire straits. "I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn't ideal obviously," he said, adding that he felt "standing on the edge of a cliff" during that period.

His medical team then turned to CAR T-cell therapy, a treatment that genetically modifies patients' blood cells to fight cancer more effectively. The results have proven transformative for the actor, known for his iconic roles in Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders.

"I've had a scan just now, and there is no cancer in my body," Neill shared. "That's an extraordinary thing. I'm very, very excited that this can happen."

Neill's hematologist, Miles Prince, explained the mechanism behind the treatment's success. "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," Prince said.

Neill originally disclosed his stage-three blood cancer diagnosis in March 2022.