Poison’s Rikki Rockett Says He’s Been Cancer-Free for More Than 11 Years

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett, 65, whose given name is Richard Allan Ream, says he has remained free of cancer for more than 11 years following an oral cancer diagnosis in June 2015. Speaking with Get On The Bus in a newly published interview, Rockett said plainly, “it’s never been back,” pointing to an experimental immunotherapy clinical trial as the treatment that turned his outlook around after conventional therapy failed him.

• Rockett was diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oral cancer in June 2015 after a persistent sore throat and a protruding lymph node led him to his doctor.
• A tumor was located at the base of his tongue, and he underwent 37 rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, which ultimately did not stop the cancer from spreading.
• He was later told he faced roughly a 10 percent survival chance had he stayed on the standard treatment path.
• Rockett enrolled in a clinical trial of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, known by the brand name Keytruda, under a doctor identified as Cohen at UCSD Moores Cancer Center.
• He was declared cancer-free in July 2016 and marked his 10-year cancer-free anniversary on July 13.

How Rikki Rockett’s Standard Cancer Treatment Failed

Rockett has explained that after his June 2015 diagnosis, he went through what doctors described as the standard course of care for his condition, which involved five months of treatment split between active therapy and a recovery window before follow-up imaging. That regimen included 37 sessions of radiation, administered five days a week, alongside chemotherapy.

Despite completing that protocol, scans showed the disease had advanced rather than retreated, with cancer appearing on the front of his tongue in addition to his lymph nodes. Rockett has said a doctor later disclosed that continuing along that same treatment route would have given him only about a 10 percent chance of surviving.

The Immunotherapy Trial That Rockett Credits With His Recovery

With few remaining options and surgery carrying its own risks given the timeline, Rockett sought out a physician in San Diego who was running clinical trials for emerging cancer treatments. That search led him to Cohen at UCSD Moores Cancer Center, who enrolled him in a trial testing the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, sold under the name Keytruda.

Rockett has said the response was almost immediate: within nine weeks of beginning the trial, his tumor had shrunk by more than 90 percent, and it disappeared entirely within a few additional weeks. He was declared cancer-free in July 2016, and he has continued to mark the anniversary of that recovery each year, noting he reached the 10-year milestone on July 13.

Rockett’s Past Comments on HPV and Oral Cancer

Rockett first disclosed in a 2015 interview that his cancer stemmed from HPV, which he described as the leading cause of oral cancer cases at the time. He said a doctor estimated he had contracted the virus somewhere between 15 and 20 years earlier.

In a 2020 appearance on “Trunk Nation,” Rockett noted he had dealt with the same category of cancer as Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson and Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, both of whom have also spoken publicly about HPV-related oral cancer diagnoses. He used the platform to encourage parents to get their children vaccinated against HPV, calling the virus widespread among the patients he has come to know through his own experience.

More Info

• RIKKI ROCKETT Says He Has Stayed Cancer-Free For More Than A Decade: Its Never Been Back | Blabbermouth
• Poison’s Rikki Rockett Recalls His Terrifying Cancer Relapse And Miracle Recovery | metalheadzone.com