Dave Coulier Shares Good News: His Tongue Cancer Is in Remission After Two Diagnoses in Two Years

Dave Coulier on ‘Good Morning America’.
Credit:

ABC

NEED TO KNOW

• Dave Coulier is in remission after battling tongue cancer and stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma over two years.
• The ‘Full House’ actor underwent 35 rounds of radiation and credits early detection and support from loved ones for his recovery.
• He hopes sharing his journey inspires others to prioritize regular checkups.

Dave Coulier has announced that he is cancer-free once again. On World Cancer Day, February 4, the actor revealed he is in remission following an aggressive battle with tongue cancer. This announcement comes nearly a year after he shared that he was cancer-free from stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

During an appearance on Good Morning America, the 66-year-old comedian described the experience as a “roller coaster ride.” He stated, “I’m in remission with both cancers. And what a journey this has been.”

Coulier publicly disclosed his tongue cancer diagnosis in December, just months after announcing he had been cleared of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Doctors identified p16 squamous carcinoma, a type of head and neck cancer, during a six-month checkup and PET scan, which revealed a flare-up where the tongue meets the throat.

In an interview, he expressed his initial shock at the diagnosis, thinking it was related to his previous lymphoma. However, he learned that the two cancers were unrelated. “It turns out, if I hadn’t had that PET scan, then they wouldn’t have had this early detection,” he explained. “So as weird as this sounds, I’m now actually thankful for the first cancer because it helped me detect this second one.”

Coulier underwent 35 rounds of targeted radiation treatment and previously had robotic surgery to biopsy part of his tongue.

John Stamos, Dave Coulier, and Melissa Bring.

John Stamos/Instagram

Reflecting on the emotional toll of his treatment, Coulier shared that maintaining a positive outlook was critical to his journey. He noted the psychological, emotional, and physical challenges posed by radiation therapy, asserting, “I wasn’t going to allow cancer to do that. I was going to laugh my way through it and keep the people that I love close to me. And that helps.”

Among those who supported him were his wife, Melissa Bring, and former Full House co-star, John Stamos. Coulier recounted a touching visit from Stamos, noting, “He wore a bald cap and when he came around the corner dressed like that, I dropped to the floor laughing.” The friends shared light-hearted moments, even dealing with Stamos contracting COVID during the visit.

Now in remission, Coulier aims to use his story to inspire others to prioritize health screenings and checkups. “I feel as though I can help people,” he said. “I never wanted to be the poster boy for cancer, believe me. But now I feel like I can encourage people to get those prostate exams and mammograms. Talk to your doctors and get ahead of this.”

He added, “Even though I’m in remission, I feel like cancer’s always in the rear-view mirror behind me. ‘Ehh, you trying to pass me here?’ So early detection really means everything.”