Dave Coulier Faces New Battle with Tongue Cancer After Lymphoma

Dave Coulier, known for his role on the iconic sitcom *Full House*, has announced that he is undergoing treatment for tongue cancer, just months after successfully battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma. During a December 2 interview on the *Today* show, the 66-year-old actor shared his shocking diagnosis of HPV-related oropharyngeal tongue cancer, which was confirmed in October.

Coulier recounted the emotional toll of his journey. “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,” he explained. He emphasized that he had been asymptomatic prior to a follow-up scan that revealed his second cancer diagnosis.

Reflecting on the experience, he stated, “It was a really tough year; chemotherapy was grueling. A couple of months ago, I had a PET scan, and something flared on the scan. The doctor said, ‘We don’t know what it is, but there’s something at the base of your tongue.’” Describing the pain, Coulier likened it to biting his tongue, with discomfort that persisted daily.

Coulier was informed that this new diagnosis was unrelated to his previous battle with lymphoma. “They said it’s totally unrelated to my non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is a new cancer,” he remarked, expressing disbelief at the rapid shift from minor illness to cancer diagnosis.

Despite the challenges, Coulier found a silver lining in his situation. “At that point, my chances of curable went from something low to 90 percent range. And so that was a great day,” he said. He also shared how he informed his former *Full House* castmates about his diagnosis. “I didn’t want them to hear it from someone else, so I sent a text message out. It was just this outpouring of, ‘I will be there. You just name the time.’”

Earlier in 2023, Coulier celebrated being cancer-free but now faces early-stage P16 carcinoma, which is linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV). According to the American Cancer Society, a P16-positive cancer indicates an infection with HPV-16, a high-risk strain. “They said it could stem from having an HPV virus up to 30 years ago. A lot of people carry the HPV virus, but they said mine activated and turned into a carcinoma,” he clarified.

Coulier’s medical team assured him that the prognosis is positive. He mentioned, “We found it early enough where it’s very treatable. … It’s got a 90 percent curability rate.” Currently, he is undergoing a rigorous treatment plan that includes 35 sessions of radiation therapy, five days a week until the end of the year.

Describing the therapy, he noted, “It doesn’t feel as aggressive, but there are still side effects,” which include nausea and persistent pain on the left side of his face and tongue. He expressed a sense of humor about his situation, stating, “I’m doing really well for a guy with cancer. I get to start the new year saying, ‘I finished radiation yesterday!’”

Coulier also addressed the emotional strain that accompanies such health challenges, particularly on his wife, Melissa. “It’s emotional. It’s psychologically draining. It’s also a big drain to my wife, Melissa,” he said. Despite the difficulties, he remains cautiously optimistic about his recovery.

He concluded with a reflective note on the importance of early detection: “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. This could have progressed immensely, and I would be in trouble.”

As he navigates this difficult chapter, Coulier’s resilience and drive to share his experience may offer hope and awareness to others facing similar battles.