Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders actor Sam Neill said in an interview with The Guardian that he is undergoing chemotherapy for stage three blood cancer. 

The 75-year-old actor was being interviewed by the said news organization ahead of the release of his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This?. During the interview, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

The actor said that although the memoir is not about his illness, it forms a ‘spiral thread’ throughout the narrative. 

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Neill said during the publicity for Jurassic World he first experienced swollen glands, and was soon diagnosed with the condition. After that, he underwent the first dose of chemotherapy, but that did have a positive effect on his condition. 

He then switched to a new chemotherapy drug and will have to continue receiving the drug for the rest of his life, even though he is now cancer-free.

What is angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma? 

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) that affects the T-cells of the immune system. It is a subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, which accounts for about 10-15% of all NHL cases. 

AITL is characterized by a set of clinical features, including enlarged lymph nodes, fever, skin rash, and autoimmune symptoms. AITL typically affects older adults, with an average age of onset of around 60 years. 

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The disease is more common in men than women. The exact cause of AITL is not fully understood, but it is thought to be related to abnormalities in the immune system. The diagnosis of AITL is usually made by a combination of clinical features, laboratory tests, and biopsy of affected tissues. 

Treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplantation. However, AITL is often resistant to conventional treatments, and the prognosis is generally poor, with a median survival of around three years.