Dolph Lundgren shared some incredibly heartwarming news to kick off the holidays.
The 67-year-old Expendables star announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he is now cancer-free after a nine-year battle during which doctors once told him he only had a few years to live.
Filming from his hospital bed, the Swedish actor explained that he underwent lung ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat or cold energy to target and destroy cancer cells without the need for surgery.
“Here I am at UCLA, about to go in and remove that last tumor,” he said. “Since there are no cancer cells left in my body, I believe I will be cancer-free, so I am looking forward to this procedure.”
“It was a tough ride and really taught me how to live in the moment and enjoy every moment of life,” he continued. “I mean, this is the only way to go.”
In the caption of his post, Lundgren added, “Finally cancer free, with gratitude and excitement for a bright future. Thank you always for all your support.’
Dolph Lundgren shared some incredibly heartwarming news to kick off the holidays
The Expendables star, 67, announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he is now cancer-free after a nine-year battle during which doctors once told him he only had a few years to live.
In May 2023, Dolph revealed that he has been battling cancer for eight years and speculated whether his past use of steroids for bodybuilding could be to blame.
The actor opened up about his battle on ‘In Depth with Graham Besinger’ and revealed that he was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015.
Lundgren says he went into remission, but the cancer returned in 2020 and one doctor told him he had two to three years to live.
The star went for a second opinion and the treatment he is now receiving has resulted in the tumors shrinking.
In an excerpt from the interview, while still wearing a hospital gown, he says, “It’s the day after my surgery. They removed one tumor, then they took out two more that they found and three more small ones.
‘Hopefully it will be cleared up. If it dies, it dies.”
Lundgren referenced his memorable quote in the 1985 film Rocky IV, after his character Ivan Drago killed Apollo Creed during their exhibition match.
In a conversation with Bensinger, he talked about how he discovered he had cancer again in 2020.
Filming from his hospital bed, the Swedish actor explained that he underwent lung ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat or cold energy to target and destroy cancer cells without the need for surgery.
In the caption of his post, Lundgren added: “Finally cancer free, with gratitude and excitement for a bright future. Thank you always for all your support’
Lundgren says: ‘In 2020 I was back in Sweden and I had some kind of acid reflux. I didn’t know what it was, so I did an MRI.
“They found there were a few more tumors in that area.”
He continues: ‘They found another tumor in the liver, so I thought: OK.
‘That’s when it started to dawn on me that this was something serious. The surgeon called me and said it had grown, it was too big, it had grown to the size of a small lemon.
‘I asked how long I have left, I think he said 2-3 years, but I could hear in his voice that he thought it was less. I thought that was definitely it.”
Lundgren said steroid use had an impact on his body
He said: ‘I tried steroids in the 80s and 90s. I don’t know if that has anything to do with the cancer, of course it struck me as it could have something to do with it.
‘I’ve thought about it, you always think you’ve made a mistake. I think there may be a link between testosterone therapy and cancer.
Lundgren and his fiancée Emma Krokdal in April 2023
Lundgren in character as Ivan Drago in the 1985 film Rocky IV
‘I used steroids when I was younger, maybe for ten years. Depending on the type of film I made.’
Fiancée Emma Krokdal told Bensinger: ‘His mouth hurt really bad, his hands hurt and he couldn’t eat anything.
‘That was a struggle, he was losing weight. We realized it was much worse than we thought, they started talking about tumors in the lungs, stomach, spine, outside the kidneys.’
His daughter Ida Lundgren told Bensinger, “It touched me when I had a deep conversation with my father about what would happen if he died.
‘That was a terrible conversation, it was a tough time. I have to be strong for my sister.’
Lundgren said he then sought a second opinion on his diagnosis and spoke with Dr. Alexandra Drakaki.
After a change in treatment, Lundgren says, his tumors shrunk between 20 and 30 percent within three months.
Lundgren continues, “You just appreciate that you’re lucky to be alive, and you appreciate every moment that there is.”
Lundgren with actor Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV
Largely known for his roles in action-packed films, Lundgren’s breakout role was as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.
He would later reprise his role as Drago in Creed II in 2018.
After a long stint working on direct-to-video films in the 1990s, he returned to Hollywood in 2010 in The Expendables, alongside Rocky co-star Sylvester Stallone.
He has since reprized his role of Gunnar Jensen in the three sequels.