Poison drummer Rikki Rockett revealed he refused a tongue amputation after being diagnosed with Stage 3 throat cancer in 2015, which later progressed to Stage 4. The 64-year-old musician underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy before being offered the radical surgery, but opted instead for an experimental immunotherapy clinical trial that shrunk his tumours by 90% within weeks.
Refusal of Tongue Amputation
In a Facebook post celebrating 10 years of being cancer-free, Rockett detailed his bullheaded response to the proposed surgery. 'In 2015, I went to my ENT because I was on my second round of antibiotics to cure a sore throat,' he wrote. 'I got scoped that day, and not long after, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Head and Neck Cancer (Throat Cancer). Squamous Cell Carcinoma. I began a three-month intensive treatment plan that included radiation (5 days a week) and Chemo (weekly).'
The treatment caused severe side effects: Rockett lost 30% of his body weight, suffered constant throat pain, radiation burns, and fatigue. He could not eat solid food and had to cut his hair due to a radiation burn. Despite this, the cancer progressed from Stage 3 to Stage 4, prompting doctors to recommend tongue removal. 'I was offered a surgery to remove my tongue,' he recalled. 'Me being the bullheaded thing that I am, I refused.'
Immunotherapy Clinical Trial
Instead, Rockett joined a clinical trial for a new immunotherapy approach. Within weeks, his tumours shrank by 90%, and he even claimed to have 'spat one out' on the side of the road. 'I pulled my car over to spit,' he explained. 'Spitting had become routine. Something not much different than an effect in Evil Dead landed on the ground.'
During his throat cancer treatment, Rockett was also diagnosed with leukaemia, which he successfully overcame. 'I would walk through the infusion room and see people on a drug that was experimental for me, but now has become routine,' he continued. 'I was one of the few that gifted that opportunity. I am not taking a bow, I am gracious for the chance … This was bigger than anything I had ever done with Poison. I was part of something miraculous!'
Advice and Future Book
Rockett urged others facing cancer to prioritise self-care: 'If you ever get this or anything like this, take care of yourself, keep working out, get up and take a shower and look your best. Go to a shrink. Treat yourself and make yourself first and then you can come back and help others.' He plans to share more details of his health journey in a forthcoming book, which he described as 'tough to write', hoping to help others facing cancer.
