Dolph Lundgren, 67, reveals he’s now cancer free after doctors said he only had ‘2 to 3 years’ to live

Dolph Lundgren shared some incredibly heartwarming news to kick off the holiday season.

The Expendables star, 67, took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce he is now cancer-free after a nine-year battle, during which doctors once told him he had just a few years to live.

Filming from his hospital bed, the Swedish actor explained he was undergoing a 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, I’m about to go in and get rid of that last tumor,’ he said. ‘Since there are no cancer cells in my body anymore, I guess I’ll be cancer-free, so I’m looking forward to this procedure.’

‘It’s been a rough ride and really taught me how to live in the moment and enjoy every moment of life,’ he continued. ‘I mean, it’s the only way to go.’

In his post’s caption, Lundgren added, ‘Finally cancer-free with gratefulness and excitement for a bright future. Thanks for all your support always.’

The Expendables star, 67, took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce he is now cancer-free after a nine-year battle, during which doctors once told him he had just a few years to live 

 In May 2023, Dolph revealed he has been battling cancer for eight years and speculated whether his past use of steroids for bodybuilding is to blame.

The actor opened up about his battle on ‘In Depth with Graham Besinger’ and revealed he was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015.

Lundgren says he went into remission but then the cancer returned in 2020, and was told he had 2-3 years left to live by one doctor. 

The star went for a second opinion and the treatment he is now being administered has resulted in the tumors shrinking. 

In a clip from the interview, while still wearing a hospital gown, he says: ‘It’s the day after my surgery, they took out one tumor, then they took out another two they found and another three small ones.

‘Hopefully it’s cleaned out, if it dies, it dies.’

Lundgren had been referring to his memorable quote in the 1985 film Rocky IV, after his character Ivan Drago kills Apollo Creed during their exhibition match. 

Speaking to Bensinger, he spoke of how he discovered he had cancer again in 2020.

Filming from his hospital bed, the Swedish actor explained he was undergoing a lung ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat or cold energy to target and destroy cancer cells without the need for surgery

In his post’s caption, Lundgren added, ‘Finally cancer-free with gratefulness and excitement for a bright future. Thanks for all your support always’

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 that there were a few more tumors around that area.’

He continues: ‘They found one more tumor in the liver, so I was like aw s**** okay.

‘At that point it started to hit 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 them how long do I have left, I think he said 2-3 years but I could tell in his voice he thought it was less. I thought that was it for sure.’

Lundgren said that the use of steroids had an impact on his body 

He said: ‘I tried steroids back in the 80s, 90s. I don’t know if that is something to do with the cancer, of course it struck me as it could have something to do with it.

‘I thought about it, you always think you’ve made a mistake. I think maybe there is some connection 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 was on steroids when I was younger, on and off for maybe ten years. Depending on the kind of movie I made.’

Fiancée Emma Krokdal told Bensinger: ‘His mouth got really sore, his hands got sore and he couldn’t eat anything.

‘That was a struggle, he was losing weight. We realized it was a lot worse than we thought, they started talking about tumors in the lung, stomach, spine, outside the kidneys.’

His daughter Ida Lundgren told Bensinger: ‘It hit me when I had a deep conversation with my Dad about what would happen if he passed away. 

‘That was a horrible conversation, it was a tough time. I have to be strong for my sister.’

Lundgren said he then went seeking a second opinion on his diagnosis and spoke to Dr Alexandra Drakaki.

Following a change in treatment, Lundgren says with within three months his tumors had been shrinking between twenty and thirty per cent. 

Lundgren continues: ‘You just appreciate being lucky enough to be alive, and you appreciate every moment there is.’

Lundgren with actor Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV

Largely known for his roles in action packed films, Lundgren’s breakthrough role was as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.

He would later reprised his role as Drago in Creed II in 2018. 

After a long spell of working on direct-to-video films during the 90s, he returned to Hollywood in 2010 in The Expendables, alongside Rocky co-star Sylvester Stallone.

Since then he has reprised his role of Gunnar Jensen in the three sequels.