Poison drummer Rikki Rockett recently recalled his terrifying cancer relapse and miracle recovery, discussing his health journey after being diagnosed with oral cancer 11 years ago during an appearance on Get On The Bus.
The musician detailed his initial diagnosis in June 2015 and the standard treatments he underwent, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
“Once I was diagnosed [in June 2015], I did the whole normal sort of path to be treated for it, standard of care, as it was,” Rockett said. “And it didn’t work. It didn’t work.”
He went on to describe the intense radiation therapy and chemotherapy sessions he had to endure during the early stages of his treatment.
“I remember the doctor told me, he goes, ‘What are you doing for the next three months?’” Rockett recalled. “He goes, ’’Cause this is gonna be your job.’ And I said, ‘Okay. Uh, nothing, I guess.’ So, I did 37 rounds of radiation, five days a week, where they make a mask and they put you down on a metal thing. They twist these things so your head can’t move, and the machine comes over. It’s very scary stuff.”
Rockett explained that despite receiving what was considered a better type of chemotherapy, the cancer spread to the other side of his tongue.
“And then you get chemo,” Rockett continued. “I had that. I had a good type, a better type of chemo — Martha Stewart drug, they call it. At least I thought it was better. But it didn’t work. And at the end of the five months, because it was three months of treatment, then two months you have to wait until everything calms down so they can do the imaging, and it was like it had jumped to the other side, and I had some on the front of my tongue now.”
Faced with limited options, Rockett sought out an immunotherapy clinical trial in San Diego, despite concerns from his surgeon about the timing.
“And there wasn’t that many choices,” Rockett said. “But there was something called immunotherapy. There was a doctor in San Diego that was heading up some clinical trials, and I did some research on him, and I said, ‘I’m gonna meet this guy.’ They made the introduction… I got in a car, and met with him. And he said, ‘I think I can get you on a trial.’ I said, ‘Well, my surgeon told me I may not have time.’ I said, ‘If I let this go and try immunotherapy, and therapy doesn’t work, it’ll be too late to do surgery.’ And he goes, ’I don’t think so, ’cause I don’t think that’s the case. I think if it doesn’t look like we’re going the right direction, I’ll get you on something to shrink the tumor right away. It’ll buy more time. We’ll figure this out. Somehow we’re gonna figure this out.’”
The experimental treatment proved to be highly effective, leading to a complete recovery.
“So, within nine weeks, I was 90% cured,” Rockett concluded. “Within another few weeks, it was gone. It’s never been back. I celebrated my 10-year anniversary on July 13th.”
Rockett’s diagnosis was linked to HPV-related oral cancer that began at the base of his tongue and involved associated lymph nodes. The cancer initially appeared to respond to chemotherapy and radiation before progressing.
He eventually joined a clinical trial at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health under the care of oncologist Dr. Ezra Cohen. The immunotherapy treatment eradicated the tumor after the earlier treatments had failed.
The treatment involved pembrolizumab, also known by the brand name Keytruda. Rockett’s tumor shrank by more than 90% within approximately two months of starting immunotherapy.
Rockett has continued to provide positive health updates in the years since his recovery. In a 2024 update, he said he remained cancer-free and added, “I’m doing great. No red flags.”
The Poison drummer has also used his experience to raise awareness about head and neck cancer and the potential of immunotherapy. His latest comments mark more than a decade since his diagnosis, with Rockett stating that the cancer has never returned.
