Blink-182's Mark Hoppus Says He Has Stage 4 'Blood-Related' Cancer: 'We're Beating This'
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Mark Hoppus is sharing more details about his cancer diagnosis.
The Blink-182 frontman, 49, revealed that he has stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma during a recent Twitch livestream, saying that his cancer "isn't bone-related" but rather "blood-related" while answering fan questions.
"My blood's trying to kill me," he said in a recording captured by the YouTube account Blink-182 Chile.
"My classification is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma Stage 4-A, which means, as I understand it, it's entered four different parts of my body," Hoppus explained. "I don't know how exactly they determine the four-part of it, but it's entered enough parts of my body that I'm Stage 4, which I think is the highest that it goes. So, I'm Stage 4-A."
The musician said he was diagnosed with the disease in late April and has since been undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
Kevin Winter/Getty Mark Hoppus
At the time of the livestream, Hoppus said he was one day away from a medical appointment to see if chemotherapy was working.
"If it is, I go back for at least three more rounds," he said. "Ideally, I go in tomorrow and they say, 'Congratulations, your chemotherapy has worked and you're all done and you'll never have to think about this cancer again for the rest of your life.'"
If the treatments haven't been working, Hoppus said he'll likely have to pursue "other options," like a bone marrow transplant.
"We're beating this cancer," he told fans. "It's just a matter of time."
Kevin Mazur/Getty Mark Hoppus
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Since his diagnosis, Hoppus said he's been leaning on his mother, a three-time cancer survivor.
"Oddly enough, we have the exact form of cancer," he said. "And she beat it, so I've been able to talk to her and bond with her quite a bit."
Added Hoppus, "My mom has beaten cancer three times — twice for breast cancer and once for the same cancer that I have, which is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma."
Large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a type of cancer that occurs in white blood cells and can form tumors throughout the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is one of the most common subtypes of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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Hoppus first announced his cancer diagnosis on June 23, sharing at the time that he has "months of treatment ahead of me but I'm trying to remain hopeful and positive."
"It sucks and I'm scared, and at the same time I'm blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this," he wrote in a social media message.
When asked about the side effects of chemotherapy during his latest Twitch livestream, Hoppus said that his ongoing treatments have caused his hair to fall out and he now occasionally experiences what he calls "chemo brain."
Mark Hoppus Instagram
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"For me, I forget things," he shared. "People would be talking to me and five minutes later I'd be asking them a question, and they'll be like, 'I just told you five minutes ago.' So it kinda sucks."
As for his day-to-day reactions to chemotherapy, Hoppus said "it's different, for me, every single time."
"The first chemo, I felt like I was a zombie that fell onto an electric fence and was just being shocked," he explained. "The second round of chemo, I just felt very weak and tired. Really just like the worst flu ever. The third round of chemo, I started retching. Nauseous and that whole thing."
