Actor Dave Coulier is currently undergoing treatment for tongue cancer, less than a year after announcing he was free of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The 66-year-old comedian shared his latest health update during an interview on Tuesday, December 2.
Coulier described the emotional impact of the new diagnosis. "Going through chemotherapy and feeling that relief of, ‘Wow, that’s over.’ And then, getting a test that says, ‘Well, now you have another kind of cancer’… it’s a shock to the system," he stated.
He was diagnosed with HPV-related oropharyngeal tongue cancer in October. This second cancer was discovered incidentally during a follow-up PET scan for his previous condition. He had experienced no prior symptoms.
"It was a really tough year, chemotherapy was grueling," Coulier said. The scan revealed "something" at the base of his tongue, which a subsequent biopsy confirmed as cancer.
The pain from the tongue cancer was severe. Doctors assured him this new cancer was unrelated to his non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Coulier had first announced his stage III non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis late last year. He characterized that cancer as "very aggressive" but noted it had not spread to his bone marrow. His chances of a cure rose to the "90 percent range" at the time.
He informed his former Full House castmates via text message. "There was a flood of messages of, ‘I’ll be there. Tell me the time, and I know you’re in good hands with [his wife Melissa Bring], but what can we do?’" he recalled. "Really, the love we have for each other is overwhelming."
Earlier this year, Coulier announced he was officially cancer-free from the lymphoma. Now he faces early-stage P16 carcinoma, another term for oropharyngeal tongue cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, P16 is a protein marker for the human papillomavirus (HPV). Cancer positive for P16 is caused by HPV-16, a high-risk type. The National Cancer Institute notes that HPV-16 is sexually transmitted, and prolonged infection can lead to cellular changes that develop into cancer.
Coulier explained that his cancer might be linked to an HPV infection he had up to 30 years ago. He said many people carry the virus, but in his case, it activated into carcinoma.
The good news is that the cancer was detected early. It has a high cure rate, estimated at 90 percent.
His medical team has given him a good prognosis. He has immediately begun radiation therapy.
Coulier is undergoing 35 radiation sessions, five days a week, expected to continue until the end of the year. He described radiation as less aggressive than chemotherapy but still presenting side effects. These include nausea, "radiation brain," and pain on the left side of his face and tongue.
He is maintaining a positive outlook despite the challenges. "My usual joke is… I’m doing great for a guy with cancer," he shared. "I’m going to start the year saying, ‘I finished radiation yesterday!’"
The experience has also taken an emotional and psychological toll. He noted the burden it places on his wife, Melissa Bring.
Coulier remains "cautiously optimistic" about overcoming this new battle. He highlighted a crucial silver lining: his previous cancer helped detect the new one.
"If I hadn’t gone and listened to my doctors and made sure to get that follow-up PET scan, we would have never found this carcinoma," he concluded. "This could have advanced immensely, and I would be in serious trouble."