by Mick the Ram

Dolph Lundgren  has confirmed that he is finally cancer-free after a long battle during which he was only given two-three years to live by doctors.

The Swedish actor who shot to fame playing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in the Rocky IV film and went on to play a starring role in Creed II, was first diagnosed in 2015 when a tumour was found on his kidney.

The now 67-year-old also had lung cancer and then a “lemon-sized” tumour was discovered on his liver in 2021, which resulted in “experts” predicting he had little time left.

Fortunately a second opinion was sought and brought him the treatment that has given him a second chance.

He recently filmed himself from a hospital bed and told fans that he was undergoing a lung ablation, which is a procedure that although is minimally invasive, targets cancer cells with heat or cold, without actually needing surgery.

He finished his piece stating that effectively he was cancer-free.

Health deteriorated

It was during an interview conducted in 2023 that the actor revealed that although following the initial discovery of a tumour in 2015 he had been fine for a while after its removal, around the time of the Covid pandemic in 2020 he started experiencing acid reflux and sought medical advice.

Doctors were alarmed to find several more tumours in his abdominal area and he had six “taken away” before an even bigger one was observed on his liver. This one was described as being “like the size of a small lemon” and terrifyingly he was told it could not be surgically removed.

Terrifying advice

He then received a piece of shattering advice from his doctor who suggested he should spend more time at home with his family.

Dolph recalled: “The doctor kind of started talking about all these different tumours, like, in the lung and the stomach and the spine, outside the kidneys, so I asked him, how long he thought I’d got left and although he put the figure as two or three years.

“I could tell in his voice that he probably thought it was less; I thought it was it, for sure!”

Breakthrough

He could have accepted his fate, but he decided to seek a second opinion and how good a job it was that he did, because a different doctor found a mutation in his tumour that he recognised as being similar to those he had become aware of among lung cancer sufferers.

This was the breakthrough Dolph needed as it opened up a new line of specialist treatments he had previously not been considered for.

Looking to make most of rest of life

Thankfully his body responded and now is able to pass on really encouraging news which he did via a recent video recording that he shared with his Instagram followers: “Here I am at UCLA, I’m about to go in and get rid of that last tumour; and since there are no cancer cells in my body any more, I guess I’ll be cancer-free, so I’m looking forward to this procedure.”

He went on to say: “It’s been a rough ride and really taught me how to live in the moment and enjoy every moment of life. I mean, it’s the only way to go.”

Were steroids to blame

In the past the giant Swede has admitted that he often has wondered if his steroid usage over previous decades could have contributed to the developing cancers.

He said: “Maybe it’s only me, but you kind of blame yourself to some degree for it. I think maybe its testosterone and there’s some connection between testosterone therapy, HGH (growth hormone therapy) and cancer for some people.”

Great career after Rocky break

Dolph got his big acting break in Rocky IV after a contact of his sent video footage to the film’s star and director – Sylvester Stalone.

In the movie Lundgren’s character – a Soviet boxer named Ivan Drago, and the lead character Rocky Balboa (Stallone’s character) have an epic fight, following a tragic event in Balboa’s personal life and is a cinema classic.

The Scandinavian went on to play lead roles in more than 80 action-oriented films, including the already mentioned Creed II, Red Scorpion and Men of War.