Actor Irrfan Khan has revealed that he has been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour and that he will be treated for it abroad. The 51-year-old actor posted a statement on his Twitter account, ending days of speculation about what 'rare disease' he is suffering from. "As for the rumours that were floated, neuro is not always about the brain and Googling is the easiest way to do research," Irrfan Khan's statement said, referencing tabloids that reported he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. Google searches for neuroendocrine tumour have likely surged after the actor's post. Mr Khan revealed he has a 'rare disease' on March 5, again via his social media account, and said he would post the diagnosis 10 days later once medical tests concluded.
AIIMS oncology assistant professor Dr Sunil Kumar told news agency PTI that neuro-endocrine tumour is a "special or rare" form of cancer. "They originate from nerve and gland tissues combined. These are special cells which are present in either the GI (gastrointestinal) tract or in the lungs. There are special cells which are generally immature in nature and don't have very good behaviour," he told PTI.
Irrfan Khan has not revealed when he will leave for his treatment but the director of his new film Blackmail says that the actor has insisted the movie releases on April 4 as scheduled. "Irrfan doesn't want us to postpone the film. Bhushan (producer Bhushan Kumar) and I will make sure that Blackmail gets the best possible release," Abhinay Deo told news agency IANS. "When I met him, he was very curious to know about the trailer, songs and the dialogue promos that we would be making. His only request was that the film should get the best possible release and it should not suffer because of his absence," Mr Deo added. He previously said that Irrfan Khan had shown no sign of illness while filming Blackmail.