Pioneering US chef Grant Achatz has been diagnosed with life-threatening oral cancer.

The 33-year-old executive chef of the Alinea restaurant in Chicago said he is suffering from an advanced form of cancer of the mouth.

The cancer, which doctors believe has spread to his lymph nodes, has left Achatz with lesions on his tongue. Treatment, including chemotherapy and surgery, could leave the chef's sense of taste severely compromised.

However, a defiant Achatz said: "A lot of what I do is conceptualise, and I've got a really strong team who are going to rally around this."

By Kerstin Kühn

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