Irrfan Khan says he's diagnosed with rare tumour

Bollywood star Irrfan Khan on Friday revealed he has been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour and is going out of the country for treatment.

"The unexpected makes us grow, which is what the past few days have been about. Learning that I have been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour as of now has admittedly been difficult, but the love and strength of those around me and that I found within me has brought me to a place of hope," the highly-acclaimed actor said in a statement.

"The journey of this is taking me out of the country, and I request everyone to continue sending their wishes. As for the rumours that were floated, neuro is not always about the brain and Googling is the easiest way to do research;-) To those who waited for my words, I hope to be back with more stories to tell," the 51-year-old added.

Neuroendocrine tumours are described as rare and can occur anywhere in the body. It is a condition in which the neuroendocrine cells -- which perform specific functions such as regulating air and blood flow through the lungs and controlling how quickly food moves through the gastrointestinal tract -- develop into tumours.

Most neuroendocrine tumours occur in the lungs, appendix, small intestine, rectum and pancreas. They can be non-cancerous or malignant.

However, in Irrfan's case, he has not yet revealed which stage of the condition he is suffering or whether it is malignant or not.

Irrfan began his statement on Friday with an emotional quote by Margaret Mitchell -- "Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect."

His revelation about his condition comes days after the internationally known actor left fans, friends and colleagues worried by informing them via social media that his life had been shaken up by a "rare disease" and that he was "fighting for choices".

A string of celebrities wished him speedy recovery as well as a long and healthy life.

On Friday, director Abhinay Deo, whose upcoming film "Blackmail" features Irrfan, told the media that he had met the actor and found him to be in good spirits.

A National Award winner, Irrfan has stood out for his performance in films like "Paan Singh Tomar", "Talvar", "Maqbool", "7 Khoon Maaf", "Piku" and "Hindi Medium". In the West, he has starred in films like "The Namesake", "Life of Pi", "A Mighty Heart", "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Inferno".

His latest movie "Blackmail" is slated to release on April 6 and he has asked its makers to give it the "best possible release" in his absence from the promotional activities. Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has postponed the shoot of his next with Irrfan and Deepika Padukone.

--IANS

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