Dolph Lundgren opens up about 8-year battle with cancer and blames steroid use

Swedish actor and martial artist Dolph Lundgren recently shared shocking information.

The “Rocky IV” star revealed that he is already one 8 year battle with cancer and seemingly suggested that steroid use for bodybuilding could be the cause.

Lundgren shared that one particular doctor was given less than three years to live, a sign that his health was in critical condition.

The actor is in remission as he shared footage of his surgery where he revealed that around five tumors were removed.

Read on for more details.

Dolph Lundgren was battling cancer

The Swedish actor, who starred in such iconic action films as Rocky IV and The Expendables, recently revealed that he has been battling cancer for the past eight years.

In an emotional interview on “In Depth with Graham Besinger,” per Daily Mail, Lundgren shared that he was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015, but it cleared up after he went into remission. He came up again in 2020 and this time he was told he had a small chance of survival as the doctor gave him less than three years to live.

“I returned to Sweden in 2020 and had acid reflux. I didn’t know what it was, so I did an MRI,” he recalled how he found out about the cancer that had resurfaced.

He continued: “They found another tumor in the liver, so I said ‘oh well’. Then it occurred to me that this was something serious. The surgeon called me and said it had grown; it was too big and grew to the size of a small lemon.”

While battling cancer, Lundgren continued to work on movies and TV shows, including the hit series “Arrow.”

Dolph Lundgren says his steroid use is to blame

In the interview, Lundgren speculated that the steroids used for bodybuilding may have caused his cancer.

Lundgren, now 65, started using steroids in the 1980s, when he was a bodybuilder and appeared in several hit movies. He admitted that he was not fully aware of the risks involved at the time and was solely focused on getting the perfect physique for his films.

“I tried steroids in the 80s and 90s. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the cancer; of course, it stood out to me because it might have something to do with it,” the “Universal Soldier” star shared. “I’ve thought about it; you always think you’ve made a mistake. I think there might be some connection between testosterone therapy and cancer.

He added: “I was on steroids when I was younger, on and off, for maybe ten years. Depending on what kind of film I was making.”

Dolph Lundgren underwent surgery

(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf7g-MrwT4U(/embed)

In a clip seen before the emotional interview with Bensinger began, Lundgren revealed that he had just completed surgery to remove six tumors from his body. The “Creed II” actor made hand gestures in the video to illustrate the size of the cancer.

– The day after my surgery; they removed one tumor, then found two more, and three more small ones. That’s a total of six,” he said, as he could be seen in a hospital gown.

He added: “Hopefully it has been cleared; if he dies, he dies,” referring to the memorable catchphrase in the 1985 film “Rocky IV” after his character Ivan Drago kills Apollo Creed in their exhibition match.

The actor’s family talks about the impact of his illness

According to the Daily MailLundgren’s fiancee Emma Krokdal and daughter Ida shared with Bensinger their account of the actor’s illness and its impact on them.

“His mouth hurt, his hands hurt, and he couldn’t eat anything,” Krokdal said. “It was a struggle; was losing weight. We realized it was much worse than we thought; they started talking about tumors in the lungs, stomach, spine, and other than the kidneys.”

The “Men of War” actor’s daughter, Ida Lundgren, also shared with the host that she is already considering life without her father.

“I understood when I had a deep conversation with my father about what would happen when he died,” she said. “It was a terrible conversation; it was a difficult time. I have to be strong for my sister.”