Sharon Brett-Kelley

That's Kiwi actor Sam Neill telling Australian media this week that he is cancer-free after groundbreaking treatment in Australia for the blood cancer lymphoma.

The life-saving treatment is CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies the patient's immune cells to target and kill the cancer cells.

But that science is not available to people here living with blood cancer.

They have to travel overseas and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for the treatment.

The story highlights how New Zealand is so far behind other countries in providing cutting-edge

timely treatment.

I'm Sharon Brett Kelly.

Today on The Detail, the fight for recognition and treatments for blood cancer that will save lives and save Kiwis from becoming medical migrants.

In fact, that rate of survival turned into single digits for Andrew McIntosh, something he wouldn't have faced if he was living in Australia or UK.

Andrew told his story at Parliament last week when the charity Blood Cancer NZ presented its report on the state of the disease in New Zealand.

It revealed some stark figures for the first time.

27,000 Kiwis live with it.

One in 18 will develop it in their lifetimes.

It is the third leading cause of cancer death.

You can't prevent it.

You can't screen for it.

You can't remove it by surgery.

You can cure it or treat it with medicines or a bone marrow transplant for some.

And if you'd responded to the chemo, that could have been your cure, right?

I see.