‘Rocky IV’ Actor Dolph Lundgren Says He’s “Finally Cancer Free” After Being Given 2-3 Years To Live

Denise Petski

28 November 2024 at 5:13 pm·2-min read

Dolph Lundgren has shared some very good health news. Nine years after being diagnosed with cancer that was considered terminal, the Rocky IV actor has revealed on Instagram that he’s “finally cancer free.”

“Health update – finally cancer free with gratefulness and excitement for a bright future. Thanks for all your support always. 🙏”, Lungren captioned his Instagram post.

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“Here I am at UCLA. [I’m] about to go in and get rid of that last dead tumor. Since there are no cancer cells in my body anymore, then I guess I’ll be cancer-free, so I’m looking forward to this procedure,” said Lundgren in his Instagram video.

“It’s been a rough ride and really taught me how to live in the moment and enjoy every moment of life,” he added. “It’s the only way to go.”’

Lundgren, who also starred in The Expendables 4 and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, first revealed that he had cancer in 2023, on the syndicated interview series In Depth With Graham Bensinger. He said he was first diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2015. After surgery, he remained symptom-free for about five years but during a doctor visit during a trip to Sweden in 2020 was found to have additional tumors in the kidney and liver areas.

At that point, the actor said, he was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer with only 2-3 years to live. He says that at the time he thought, “I’ve had a great life. I’ve live like five lifetimes in one. So it wasn’t like I felt bitter but I felt sorry for my kids and my fiancé.”

Eventually Lundgren sought an additional opinion from oncologist Dr. Alexandra Drakaki of UCLA Medical Center, and was placed on a more recently-developed medicinal treatment. Lundgren said the treatment – which he underwent while filming both The Expendables 4 and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – had proven effective in reducing the size of the tumors by 90%.

In May, Deadline exclusively reported Lundgren had been cast along with Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight) and Charlotte Kirk (The Reckoning) in the action thriller Fight Or Flight with Shane Dax Taylor (The Christmas Classic) set to direct.

Greg Evans contributed to this report.

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A post shared by Dolph Lundgren (@dolphlundgren)

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