Dolph Lundgren, best known for his iconic role as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, has announced he is officially cancer-free after a harrowing nine-year health battle. The 66-year-old Swedish actor shared the emotional update from his hospital bed at UCLA, just moments before undergoing a final procedure to remove the last remnants of the disease.
“Here I am at UCLA, about to go in and get rid of that last tumor,” Lundgren revealed in a video posted to Instagram. “Since there are no cancer cells in my body anymore, I guess I’ll be cancer-free. I’m looking forward to this procedure and a bright future.”
The procedure, known as lung ablation, is a minimally invasive technique that destroys tumor tissue using extreme heat or cold, according to the Mayo Clinic.
A Journey of Strength and Survival
Lundgren’s battle with cancer began in 2015 when doctors discovered a tumor in his kidney. At the time, the tumor was successfully removed, and Lundgren remained cancer-free for five years. But the respite was short-lived.
In 2020, during a routine check-up, doctors found multiple new tumors, including one in his liver that grew to the size of a lemon. The situation became dire.
“It wasn’t looking good,” Lundgren confessed in a January interview with Fox News Digital. “A doctor in London told me to stop working and spend more time with my family. That’s when I realized how serious it was.”
Despite the grim prognosis, Lundgren sought a second opinion at UCLA. The new medical team discovered that his initial treatments had been based on incorrect biopsy results.
“They hadn’t checked it properly,” Lundgren explained. “They just assumed. But when the doctor at UCLA reviewed the biopsies, she found it was a different mutation. With the right medication, I started getting better almost immediately.”
A Long-Awaited Victory
By 2022, Lundgren had undergone several rounds of targeted treatments, including radiation and cryoablation, a procedure that freezes tumors. Finally, in 2023, all visible tumors were removed.
“Now I’m living a normal life,” he said. “I still have to do scans every three months, but everything else is back to normal. It was scary and magical at the same time.”
The actor also took a moment to reflect on how the experience changed his outlook on life. “It’s taught me to live in the moment and enjoy every second. It’s really the only way to go.”
“It’s Gonna Take More to Break Me”
True to form, Lundgren infused his announcement with the same grit and humor that fans have come to expect from the action star. In an Instagram story following his surgery, he thanked fans for their support and quoted his infamous line from Rocky IV:
“It’s gonna take a little more to break me,” he wrote, adding a winking emoji for good measure.
Lundgren’s resilience and determination have earned him widespread admiration, not just for his roles in blockbuster films like The Expendables and Universal Soldier, but for his real-life fight against a formidable adversary.
As he steps into this new chapter, Lundgren remains a symbol of strength and perseverance—a fighter, both on-screen and off.
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God bless be well and be Safe Salu 🙏!!