Guitarist Vivian Campbell To Start Cancer Treatment Again

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has confirmed that his cancer has returned again and is seeking treatment.

In an interview with the US radio station 98.7 The Gater, Campbell said that his Hodgkin’s lymphoma “seems to be, kind of, coming back again” but insisted that he was still hopeful of touring with his bandmates this summer.

Campbell, who had originally revealed his diagnosis in June 2013 but announced that he had gone into remission last year, said: “I’m not concerned about it. I mean, it always was a little bit touch-and-go. But, you know, it’s just a process to get through… it’s something I need to start the process [for]. I need to get a handle on [it], so that I am free and clear to tour this summer. So, all good. You know what I mean?”

According to the Guardian, meanwhile, Campbell’s illness will not have an impact on the recording of Def Leppard’s next album. The LP is tentatively planned for a release in spring 2015 and the guitarist wants to help his bandmates “finish up the record” in November of this year. The record will be the band’s first studio effort since 2008’s ‘Songs From The Sparkle Lounge’ and their 15th in total.

In November last year, Campbell had confirmed that he was “officially in remission” from cancer and that he was on the mend, writing: “That’s the good news. The bad news is: I no longer have an excuse to not go to the gym.” After first being diagnosed with the illness, meanwhile, he had quipped: “If you’re going to have a cancer, Hodgie’s is the one to have.”