Dolph Lundgren says he is 'very well' and cancer-free nearly a year after announcing remission

Dolph Lundgren, the 67-year-old actor best known for his role in Rocky IV, said he is “very well” and has “no evidence of disease” nearly 10 months after announcing he was cancer-free.

Lundgren spoke about his health Saturday at the BAFTA TV Tea Party at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, telling People that his cancer — which he first disclosed publicly in 2023 — is in remission and that he feels he is “back to normal.” He has described the status physicians use as NED, an acronym for no evidence of disease.

Lundgren has spoken publicly about a long, privately fought battle with cancer that began after an initial diagnosis in 2015. He said the disease went into remission but returned in 2020. At that time, a doctor gave a grim prognosis, telling him he had about two to three years to live, according to Lundgren’s accounts. After seeking a second opinion, he entered a treatment regimen that he said caused the tumors to shrink, followed by surgery.

In interviews and a video recorded in hospital, Lundgren said surgeons removed multiple tumors. "They took out one tumor, then they took out another two they found and another three small ones," he said, describing the days after an operation. Last November he posted a health update saying he was finally cancer free and expressing gratitude for support.

The Stockholm native said the experience has altered his approach to physical fitness and daily life. He told People that he still goes to the gym about four or five times a week but no longer works out as intensely or stays out late. "I am just a little kinder to myself physically," he said. Lundgren added that he feels more grateful for his family and friends and tries to enjoy time with his children and wife. He has two daughters, Ida, 29, and Greta, 23, from his first marriage to Anette Qviberg, and married Emma Krokdal in 2023.

Lundgren publicly revealed the extent of his illness in late 2023 on Graham Bensinger’s podcast, saying the cancer had been a “tough fight” over several years. He has also discussed whether past use of anabolic steroids and testosterone therapy during his bodybuilding and action-film career could be linked to his cancer. "I tried steroids back in the 80s, 90s. I don't know if that is something to do with the cancer," he said, and later reflected that he had wondered if hormone therapy may have played a role.

He recounted that symptoms prompting further testing in 2020 included what he thought was acid reflux, which led to an MRI showing additional tumors, including one in the liver that he said had grown to the size of "a small lemon." After the renewed diagnosis, he said, he sought a second opinion, pursued treatment that reduced tumor size and underwent surgery to remove remnants of the disease.

Lundgren rose to international fame playing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. In discussing his recovery, he called the experience a formative one, saying it had been an "eye-opener" and, in some ways, a positive experience that led him to moderate risks and appreciate life more.

He did not discuss specific medical details such as the type of treatment beyond saying he received additional therapy and surgery. His public updates and comments to reporters indicate he remains active in his career and personal life while following a less intense training regimen than earlier in his career.