Film legend Sam Neill has spoken exclusively to 7NEWS about his devastating cancer diagnosis and the revolutionary therapy that helped him beat it. The star is now fighting to make sure everyday Australians can access the life-saving treatment.
Sam Neill’s cancer battle and revolutionary therapy
He’s famous for surviving some of the biggest beasts ever to roam the earth in Jurassic Park. But for Neill, the true fight of his life came as a stealth attack from within.
“I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business but it was keeping me alive,” Neill said. “Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.”
There was only one option left for the Hollywood star — CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies patients’ blood cells. The treatment is currently in clinical trials to treat another blood cancer, myeloma.
“[We] turbocharge those cells to then be able to now recognise the myeloma, which was not visible to the immune system before and then jump on it and kill it,” haematologist Professor Miles Prince said.
“I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing,” added Neill.
Everyday Australians benefit from CAR T-cell therapy
Fifty-two-year-old father Geoff Nyssen has battled myeloma for a decade and CAR T-cell therapy saved him too. “I was standing on the edge of a cliff, it’s not a nice place to be,” he said. But Nyssen had to fly to the US for treatment. Until now it’s only been available in clinical trials. Privately it costs around $750,000.
“The fact that Australians are soon going to be able to receive these therapies from home, it’s just amazing,” he said.
Neill and Nyssen have been fighting for state and federal governments to fund the treatment for blood cancer patients with the help of medical foundation Snowdome.
“The initial regulatory authorities have approved that there is a need and the next phase is final ratification of that and announcement by the minister,” Prince said. It’s hoped the therapy will be formally approved and available to patients within a couple of months.
“I’m very, very excited that this can happen,” Neill said. To begin it will be offered in Victoria and NSW before being rolled out across the country.
“It’s science at its best,” Neill said. As for his next move? “It’s time I did another movie.”
