Famous actor Dolph Lundgren revealed his 8-year battle with lung cancer during a Wednesday appearance on “In Depth With Graham Bensinger.”
Lundgren was first diagnosed in 2015 and underwent successful treatment. His lung cancer returned in 2020 and at that point, he was told it was terminal. The actor said his lungs, kidneys, and spine all had tumors.
“They took out that one tumor it’s about that big,” he said, as he used his hands to approximate the size. “Then they took another the other two they found in another three small ones they found so six all together so hopefully it’s cleaned out, if it dies it dies, it will die I know,” he said.
In 2020 he experienced acid reflux that prompted him to see a doctor. He underwent an MRI, and he was told a total of six tumors had been removed. It was then revealed he had another tumor in his liver.
“So I was like sh**t, okay, at that point it started to hit me that this is kind of something serious. They did a scan to, um, you know prepare for surgery and the surgeon called me, um, and said no, uh, it’s grown now it’s too big we can’t take it out it’s like the size of it, like a small lemon,” he stated.
“So now if they can’t take it out that means you have to do systemic therapy,” he said on the podcast.
At one point, the famous actor was told he had 2-3 years to live. Lundgren was advised to take time off work and share moments with his loved ones.
“I didn’t hear from the people at Cedars for six months, they never called me or anything. I think now thinking back they probably thought oh I’m a lost case,” he said.
Dolph Lundgren Reveals He’s Been Battling Cancer For 8 Years https://t.co/ih9S5OmJTI
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He booked an appointment with a different doctor to investigate his options as the reality of his condition began to set in.
“I mean you kind of look at your life and going, I had a great life yeah I’ve had a freaking great life, I’ve lived like five lifetimes in one already but everything I’ve done and you know and so it wasn’t like I was bitter about it, it was just like you know, feel sorry for your, for your kid for my kids and my fiance and people around you,” Lundgren confessed.
The actor’s new doctor found a mutation common in lung cancer and obtained medication that targeted that mutation with proven results. His tumors quickly shrank by 20-30% and Lundgren was responding well.
“So 2022 was basically watching these medications do their thing and finally things had shrunk into about 90 percent.” he said. (RELATED: Maria Menounos Reveals She Survived Cancer Just Before Becoming A Mom)
“Now I’m in the process of taking out the remaining scar tissue of these tumors,” he said.
The treatment process has made Lundgren appreciate his life much more than he ever had before.
“You appreciate every day, every day I can be with people I love, and uh, you know, you just appreciate, you know, having a – being lucky enough to be alive,” he said.