Melbourne criminal Mark "Chopper" Read has used Twitter this afternoon to reveal he has cancer.

"Looks like the big C has finally bitten. Let’s see how we go..." the crook-turned author and artist told his 3428 followers.

Chopper Read .. diagnosed with cancer. Credit:Jon Reid

Earlier, he apologised for not "tweeting of late - have been spending a bit of time in hospital for my liver".

Read, whose life was immortalised on cinema by Eric Bana in the 2000 film Chopper, later tweeted that he feels "OK".