Beloved Full House Actor Beats Lymphoma, Then Receives New Diagnosis
Actor Dave Coulier, best known for his role as Joey in Full House, is battling a second form of cancer, just seven months after beating his first. He had previously received a Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in November 2024 after noticing a golfball-sized enlarged lymph node near his groin.
“It was a really tough year; chemotherapy was grueling,” said Coulier, who found out in March that he no longer had signs of lymphoma. Now, he is facing a “whole different animal.” He admitted:
“To go through chemotherapy and feel that relief of whoa, it’s gone, and then to get a test that says, well, now you’ve got another kind of cancer … it is a shock to the system.”
Dave Coulier Gears Up For A Second Battle Against Cancer
During an interview with TODAY on December 2nd, the 66-year-old shared the scary news that he has recently been diagnosed with early-stage, P16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, a type of tongue cancer. He recounted the discovery in October of this year:
“I went in for a PET scan, just a routine check-up, and something flared on the PET scan. The doctor said, ‘We don’t know what it is, but there’s something at the base of your tongue.'”
The actor described the mass on his tongue as very painful, “like if you bit your tongue, but the pain just lasted every single day.” The initial biopsy did not show any signs of cancer. However, as the mass continued to grow, Coulier sought the help of an ear, nose, and throat oncologist for more testing.
A second, larger biopsy came back positive for cancerous cells. Surprisingly, doctors confirmed that the new disease is not related to his previous cancer.
“They said it’s totally unrelated to my non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This is a new cancer. … I said, ‘Are you kidding me?'”
Dave Coulier Emphasizes The Importance Of Early Detection
Host Craig Melvin asked what the prognosis, or likely outcome of the disease, could be for the actor. Coulier responded:
“We found it early enough where it’s very treatable. … It’s got a 90% curability rate. The doctor said the prognosis is good, but we’re going to start radiation immediately.”
After his first battle with cancer, Coulier has routinely gone in for scans as a preventive measure should the disease return. It was during one of these PET scans that the new, early-stage cancer was discovered. He shared:
“The silver lining here is that I had cancer, which helped me detect my other cancer. It seems crazy to be making that statement, but it’s true. Had I not gone in and listened to my doctors and made sure that I got that PET scan to follow up, we would have never found this carcinoma … and I could be in a world of hurt. This could have progressed immensely, and I would be in trouble.”
Coulier’s treatment plan includes 35 sessions of radiation therapy to happen Monday through Friday, from now through the end of the year. Thankfully, the doctors expect the cancer to be cured after radiation. His message to all who will listen is this:
“Get the mammogram, get the prostate exam, get a colonoscopy. Listen to your doctors. I hope you’re getting your checkups … they will save your life.“
