SICK OF IT ALL's LOU KOLLER On His Cancer Battle: 'I'm Kind Of At A Stalemate'

Vocalist Lou Koller of New York hardcore legends SICK OF IT ALL, who announced in September that his cancer had returned just four months after celebrating being declared cancer-free, has shared a new video message in which he said: "Hey, everybody. What's up? It's Lou. It's been a while. To give you an update, there's not really much to tell. The treatments are going okay. They're not really doing much. I'm kind of at a stalemate where the tumors aren't growing and they're not spreading, but they're not shrinking either. So the plan is to keep going with the treatments and see what happens. And after that, we'll make a new plan."

He continued: "I wanna take this opportunity to thank my brother Matt and my sister-in-law Connie for taking such good care of me, letting me live in their house and helping me through this. I wanna thank all of you for all the positive messages, the prayers and all of the well wishes. Thank you very much. Keep 'em coming, keep 'em coming. And I hope y'all have a great Christmas and a happy New Year. I hope next year's better year for all of us. Take care of each other, all right?! See you around."

Lou underwent chemotherapy last year after being diagnosed with an esophageal tumor.

When Koller first announced that his cancer had returned three months ago, he said in a video message: "I was having a really hard time with my recovery. I was having a tough time gaining weight and keeping food down. So I had some scans done, and sure enough, [the cancer] is back. But we're gonna take it day by day and see what happens."

A benefit concert supporting Koller's battle with esophageal cancer was held on November 23, 2024 at Irving Plaza in New York City. The "I'm In The Fight With Lou" event featured performances by VISION OF DISORDER, LIFE OF AGONY and MUNICIPAL WASTE, as well as veteran New York hardcore acts KILLING TIME and CROWN OF THORNZ. Notably, it marked VISION OF DISORDER's first live appearance since 2018. It was also LIFE OF AGONY's first show since the band's singer Keith Caputo — who came out as transgender and assumed the name Mina Caputo in 2011 — announced that he had "cured" his gender dysphoria and was planning to "physically completely detransition" in 2025 before officially changing his name back to Keith Caputo.

After Lou went public in late June 2024 with the news that doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in his esophagus, his brother Pete, who plays guitar in SICK OF IT ALL — set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the costs of his cancer treatment and assist with living expenses while the group is off the road and unable to tour. That campaign has since raised more than $380,000, with fellow artists AFI, RANCID and DROPKICK MURPHYS contributing $5,000 apiece, and bands such as SNAPCASE and HOT WATER MUSIC also making generous donations.

The long-running New York Hardcore band subsequently canceled its previously announced European tour dates.

When Lou first posted about the diagnosis on social media, he said: "[Doctors] found a tumor in my esophagus that goes into my stomach, and I'll have to be getting treatment all summer — and of course, with full support of the band. As soon as they heard it, they were, like, 'Forget the tour. Just get healthy.' … They're all behind me staying home and us staying home."

Koller ended the message by saying: "I'll hopefully beat this thing and see you at the end of the summer … or maybe the winter."

SICK OF IT ALL's European tour was supposed to kick off in the Czech Republic on July 4, 2024.

SICK OF IT ALL's latest album, "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", was released in November 2018 via Century Media.