April 29, 2026, 6:03 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Good news from Hollywood! In 2023, actor Sam Neill revealed that he was suffering from an extremely rare and specific form of lymphoma. At that time, he had been battling the disease for a while. Now, the “Jurassic Park” star has provided an update on his five-year cancer fight.
“I just had a scan, and there is no cancer in my body–that’s something extraordinary,” was the uplifting message Sam Neill shared in an interview with “7News.” It seems the 78-year-old has defeated non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The Fight Against Cancer
The initial treatment for the disease consisted of chemotherapy, which the actor now describes as “a pretty unpleasant affair, but it kept me alive.” However, the therapy eventually stopped working. “I was at a loss, and it looked like I was nearing the end, which was obviously not ideal,” Neill revealed to the Australian news channel. The turning point came with CAR-T cell therapy, which involves genetically modifying a patient’s blood cells. Its effectiveness is evident in Sam Neill’s case, as he is now cancer-free.
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What Is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?
In general, lymphomas are very rare cancers of lymphocytes, a special type of white blood cell. These cells help fight infections. Lymphomas are divided into two types: B and T lymphocytes. The first type is crucial for regulating the immune system and fighting viral infections. The second type, T lymphocytes, produces antibodies against infections.1
Specific manifestations are defined as non-Hodgkin lymphomas, comprising over 50 different diseases of the mentioned B and T cell lymphocytes. These are primarily located in the lymphatic system. B-cell lymphoma, which transforms into cancer cells through genetic changes, usually spreads in the lymph nodes, surrounding tissue, or other organs. T-cell lymphomas, on the other hand, tend to affect various organs, such as the skin, spleen, liver, or small intestine.2
Also interesting: Symptoms that may indicate lymphoma
How Our Expert Assessed Sam Neill’s Cancer in 2023
Dr. Rainer Lipp, CEO of the German Oncology Foundation, assessed the type of cancer Sam Neill had when asked by FITBOOK: “Lymphomas originating from lymphatic tissue are classified into B-cell and T-cell lymphomas. This refers to specific subgroups of lymphocytes from which the tumor can ultimately arise,” explained the specialist. According to information from Neill’s autobiography, he had the rarer T-cell lymphomas. “The chance of this disease is about 1 in 150,000 or even worse,” Lipp estimated. “What he has often occurs in the skin. It’s really something very rare.”
Lipp gave the Hollywood star a grim prognosis at the time. The reason: With this type of T-cell lymphoma, there is essentially no chance of a permanently successful treatment. “I can extend it a bit with new therapies, but a cure is not really achievable,” Lipp said. Only an allogeneic bone marrow transplant could help, but it is highly dangerous. “One would have to approach this disease quite aggressively and would likely have to reckon with a mortality rate of 40 to 50 percent.” His rather disheartening summary: “With standard therapy, one will probably eventually die from this lymphoma. The question is just how long I can delay it.”
In fact, it was not standard treatment that helped Sam Neill overcome his cancer, but the previously mentioned CAR-T cell therapy. It is also performed in Germany at specialized clinics, but it comes with enormous costs. The German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) cites amounts of up to 320,000 euros for the cutting-edge procedure.3