“Full House” actor Dave Coulier has been diagnosed with a new form of cancer, just seven months after celebrating recovery from Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 66-year-old comedian said he learned in October that scans detected a suspicious growth at the base of his tongue, an unexpected discovery following months of routine monitoring.
“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,” Coulier said in an interview on NBC’s “Today.” A subsequent biopsy confirmed early-stage, P16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, a tongue cancer linked to HPV-16.
Coulier said his doctors emphasized that the new diagnosis is “totally unrelated” to his previous lymphoma. He began radiation immediately and is undergoing 35 treatments, scheduled Monday through Friday through the end of the year.
“The doctor said the prognosis is good,” he noted, adding that early detection, once again, played a decisive role.
“How the heck can I not take this moment to use my voice to say to people, ‘Hey, early detection saved my life, and now early detection saved my life again.’”
The actor was declared cancer-free in March after completing seven months of chemotherapy for lymphoma. That disease was identified in late 2024 after he discovered a rapidly swelling lymph node, prompting tests that led to an urgent treatment regimen. His recovery was confirmed following scans in early spring.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 59,660 new cases of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer are counted each year, with 12,770 deaths from the disease each year.
These cancers originate in the squamous cells of the mouth and throat and are often associated with prior HPV infection. When found early and still localized, oropharyngeal tongue cancers carry an estimated five-year survival rate of about 88 percent.
The American Cancer Society notes that oropharyngeal cancers that test positive for P16 generally respond more favorably to treatment than P16-negative cases.
“We found it early enough where it’s very treatable. ... It’s got a 90 percent curability rate,” Coulier said. “The doctor said the prognosis is good, but we’re going to start radiation immediately.”
Coulier, best known for portraying Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom “Full House” from 1987 to 1995, said the past year has reshaped his approach to health and wellness. He also credited the vigilance of medical follow-ups for identifying the second cancer at a treatable stage.
“Had I not gone in and listened to my doctors ... I could be in a world of hurt,” he said.
