The Cure: Keyboardist Roger O’Donnell diagnosed with ‘rare and aggressive’ form of blood cancer

The 68-year-old musician, who joined the goth rock band in 1987, said cancer “can be beaten but if you are diagnosed early enough you stand a way better chance”.

Roger O’Donnell on stage at a music festival in 2019. Pic: AP

A long-time member of British band The Cure says he has been undergoing treatment for nearly a year after being diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of blood cancer.

Keyboardist Roger O’Donnell, 68, revealed on Instagram that he “ignored the symptoms for a few months” before having a scan and then surgery.

A subsequent biopsy showed in September 2023 he had a “very rare and aggressive form of lymphoma”, with O’Donnell calling the result “devastating”.

The musician, who joined the goth rock band in 1987, added he has “completed 11 months of treatment under some of the finest specialists in the world and with second opinions”.

He had advice from treatment teams, who worked on the cancer drugs he took, along with the latest immunotherapy.

O’Donnell said the “last phase of treatment was radiotherapy”, and he is “fine and the prognosis is amazing”.

In 2019, a previous drummer for the band, Andy Anderson, died at the age of 68 after being diagnosed with cancer.

O’Donnell wrote the message on social media on Sunday as he said September was blood cancer awareness month “so it’s a good opportunity to have a dialogue about these diseases”.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/the-cure-keyboardist-roger-odonnell-diagnosed-with-rare-and-aggressive-form-of-blood-cancer-13208144

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