Ian Smith shares hopeful update

Ian Smith has received some good news in his fight against terminal lung cancer.

The 'Neighbours' legend announced last month he had quit his role as Harold Bishop after being told he had just a few months to live, but after undergoing life-extending treatment, he was thrilled to be told his tumour has shrunk "significantly" and things are more optimistic than he first feared.

He told TV Week: "I did a PET scan and the words, I believe, were 'significant metabolic change, significant shrinkage of tumour'.

"I've gone from a threat of dying this coming March to maybe a few more months... and now, who knows?"

However, despite the "amazing" news, the 86-year-old actor was keen to stress he won't be cured of the disease.

He added: "It's not a cure and it won't be a cure, but I certainly have got a year, maybe two. That's amazing. It really is."

Ian - who made his Ramsay Street debut in 1987 - announced in December he had a "very aggressive" form of cancer.

He told Australia's Channel 10: "I found out a few months back that I have cancer. That I have a very aggressive non-fixable cancer and they expect me to ... they expect me to die ...

"I want to stay alive with quality as long as I can. If they can do that, I'm very happy. But I wake up every morning hoping there's no pain because I know that's the beginning of the bad part."

Ian said that he has had treatment, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, to prolong his life.

He added: "I’ve had three chemos although the first one wasn’t chemo it was immunotherapy, which is reasonably new, to the medical world.

"I’ve really put my hand up I think just to be a guinea pig, plus the fact I don’t want to die, I want to stay alive with quality as long as I can and if they can do that, I’m very happy."