The actor says an October biopsy revealed a new cancer at the base of his tongue.
WASHINGTON — Just months after announcing he was cancer-free, actor Dave Coulier says he is now undergoing cancer treatment again.
The 66-year-old “Full House” star shared the news on the TODAY show Dec. 2, revealing that he was diagnosed in October with HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue.
“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 said on Tuesday.
Coulier had publicly revealed his Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in November 2024, after discovering an enlarged lymph node. He underwent surgery and six rounds of chemotherapy, and learned in March that he was cancer-free. He continued routine PET scans every few months, and said that ended up being how doctors caught this second cancer.
“A couple of months ago, I had a PET scan, and something flared on t he scan,” he said. “The doctor said, ‘We don’t know what it is, but there’s something at the base of your tongue.'”
After a painful initial biopsy showed no cancer, a follow-up scan in October found the growth had enlarged. A second biopsy confirmed cancer. Coulier’s doctors told him the diagnosis is unrelated to his prior lymphoma.
“They said it’s totally unrelated to my non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is a new cancer. … I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’” he added.
Coulier says his cancer is P16-positive, meaning it was caused by HPV. “They said it could stem from having an HPV virus up to 30 years ago,” he explained. “A lot of people carry the HPV virus, but they said mine activated and turned into a carcinoma.”
P16-positive oropharyngeal cancers are often highly treatable and respond well to radiation. Doctors told Coulier his outlook is strong.
“We found it early enough where it’s very treatable. … It’s got a 90% curability rate,” Coulier said. He has already begun radiation, which includes 35 treatments, Monday through Friday, through the end of December.
“It’s emotional. It’s psychologically draining,” he said, adding that seeing the strain on his wife, Melissa, has been the hardest part. Despite that, he remains “cautiously optimistic,” crediting close monitoring for saving his life a second time.
“The silver lining here is that I had cancer, which helped me detect my other cancer,” he said. “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.”
He hopes his story pushes others to stay on top of screenings.
“My message is get the mammogram, get the prostate exam, get a colonoscopy. Listen to your doctors,” Coulier said. “I hope you’re getting your checkups … they will save your life.”
