‘Full House’ Star Dave Coulier Talks Tongue Cancer Diagnosis

Dave Coulier, best known for his role in the sitcom “Full House,” recently sat down with CURE to discuss facing cancer for the second time.

On Dec. 2, the 66-year-old actor announced on TODAY that he had received an early-stage tongue-cancer diagnosis known as oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in October. This diagnosis came just seven months after announcing that he was cancer-free from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which he had been diagnosed with in 2024.

“Psychologically, it just makes me want to fight. I’m like, OK, these are two cancers that are totally unrelated. I've got to fight them both individually,” he explained.

In the first installment of a multi-part series, Coulier shared the realities of receiving a second cancer diagnosis, just months after beating the first, discussed his current treatment regimen and reflected on how he’s feeling today.

CURE: How have you been feeling these days, both physically and emotionally, as you navigate a second cancer diagnosis?

Coulier: I feel pretty good for a guy with cancer. I have my good days and I have my bad days. I'm currently going through radiation, and some days are really good, where I think I could get out on an ice rink and play ice hockey, and other days I don't feel like getting out of bed. So, it's hit or miss.

Listening to your body is especially important right now, recognizing your limits each day. How has that influenced your daily life during treatment?

Absolutely. That was the toughest thing (to learn) last year, when I had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was going through chemotherapy: just listening and allowing yourself a moment of peace, where your body just gets to regroup. That was that was a really tough challenge for me, because I'm kind of a go, go, go person, and I don't always like stopping when I'm told to.

Can you walk us through how this second cancer diagnosis unfolded? What were the first signs, and how did you react when you learned something might be wrong? 

I went in for a routine PET scan to check on my non-Hodgkin lymphoma prognosis, and something flared in my throat. The doctors said, “We don't know what it is. We don't think it's cancer at the outset, but let's do a biopsy in that area.” So, I had surgery. They put me under and used a needle to poke eight different places in my tongue, very deep. It was a very painful surgery to recover from, since I couldn't swallow for a couple of weeks, but they didn't find anything (abnormal) when they went in and took samples of the cells. I thought, “Oh, OK.” I asked, “What is it?” They said, “We're not sure, but we don't think it's cancer.” I said, “OK.”

Then the swelling didn't go away as expected after that kind of surgery. I thought something's going on, so I went to an ear, nose and throat oncologist. He said, “I want to get a CT scan and an MRI. Between those three scans and the PET scan, I'll have a really good picture of what's going on, but I just want to make sure.”

So, we did those. The scans came back and he said, “I think it's carcinoma.” I said, “OK.” He explains, “We're going to go right into the base of your tongue, where it attaches to your throat, and we're going to robotically remove about an inch of that top layer of skin on your tongue.” I said, “That sounds like it might be painful.” He said, “It's going to be painful. I'm not going to lie to you, this is going to be a painful surgery to recoup from.” I said, “OK, let's do it.” We did, and he was right; it was really painful.

Before the skin was even healed, he said, “I want to get you into radiation.” That’s what I'm currently going through: 35 radiation treatments, and today was number 20 out of 35. It's been a real adjustment. It's not as systemic as chemotherapy treatment, but it still has its quirky side effects.

Radiation can bring challenging side effects. Which ones have been the most difficult for you, and how are you managing them day to day? 

I have fatigue, I can't taste anything, and my mouth is completely numb. The left side of my face feels like I have a terrible sunburn. If you’ve had canker sores on your gums, your tongue, or inside your mouth, your lips, I have those.

It's kind of like a headache that starts in my ear, because it's connected to my throat, the Eustachian tube. So, it's like having a really bad earache. It feels like I bit my tongue and it feels like I have canker sores all at once.

Facing a second cancer so soon after lymphoma must be emotionally complex. How has this journey impacted you psychologically?

Psychologically, it just makes me want to fight. I’m like, OK, these are two cancers that are totally unrelated. I've got to fight them both individually. However, psychologically, trying to get up every morning at 6 a.m. and drive to downtown Detroit to go to the hospital and get radiated, that's a real mental challenge. That's a battle. That is a greater battle than the physical battle, because I want to do so many things, and I want to feel sharp mentally, and I want to be creative. There are some days when I just can't, so I have to push through.

The physical I can deal with, I can deal with the pain, I can deal with the stress of this on my body. I can deal with the fatigue, all that stuff, but the psychological aspects of this, are powerful.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Reference

1. “Dave Coulier Reveals New Cancer Diagnosis, 7 Months After Beating Lymphoma,” by Caroline Kee. TODAY; Dec. 2, 2025.

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