Hollywood actor Dolph Lundgren has revealed that he has been battling cancer for the past eight years, and has said the condition could have been brought on by his past steroid use.
The actor, best known for his portrayal of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and Creed 2, opened up about his condition with interviewer Graham Bensinger on his show In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
In the interview, he explained how he was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015. Following a period in remission, his cancer returned in 2020, and Lundgren was told by one doctor that he only had a couple of years left to live.
However, the star sought a second opinion and his current treatment has resulted in his tumors shrinking.
Lundgren first revealed the news while also paraphrasing a memorable line from Rocky IV. Speaking in 2020 and still wearing a hospital gown, he said: "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."
Sitting down for an interview with Bensinger, Lundgren went on to share how he's not sure the impact his past steroid use had on his current condition, revealing that he was on steroids – on and off – for around 10 years.
"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," Lundgren said.
He went on to add: "I thought about it, you always think you've made a mistake. I think maybe there is some connection between testosterone therapy and cancer. I was on steroids when I was younger, on and off for maybe ten years. Depending on the kind of movie I made."
Watch the full interview below:
