Dave Coulier can likely expect a positive outcome amid his cancer journey, according to oncologist Dr. Brian Hill.
Coulier, 65, revealed on Wednesday, November 13, that he was diagnosed with stage III non-Hodgkin lymphoma last month. According to Hill, who is the director of the Lymphoid Malignancies Program at Cleveland Clinic, Coulier’s form of cancer can have a “90 percent cure rate.”
“That wouldn’t be the total cure rate for this diagnosis. It would probably be more in the sort of 70 to 80 percent range on average,” Hill exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, November 14. “But within that average, there are people who have more favorable and unfavorable features that could sort of have influenced that determination.”
Hill defined non-Hodgkin lymphoma as “a collection of different diagnoses that are characterized by an abnormal cancer cell in the lymphatic system, typically something called a B-cell.” He noted that “there are many different kinds” of lymphoma, which can affect how the illness is treated.
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“Some [diagnoses] are a little more aggressive and can make people sick quickly. Others are a little more slow-moving or indolent,” he said. “And so, there are very effective treatments for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and much of this depends on the specific diagnosis.”
Coulier told People on Wednesday that he was diagnosed after his lymph nodes swelled as a result of an upper respiratory infection, with one area growing to the size of a golf ball. In Hill’s opinion, the Full House alum could have “diffuse large B-cell lymphoma,” the “most common” form of the disease.
“This is actually curable if that’s the diagnosis in the sense that treatments, which are typically medications, chemotherapy, drugs that go throughout the body can eliminate, in many cases, all of the lymphoma in the body,” he shared. “That doesn’t always happen, and if it doesn’t happen with the first try, there are still other treatments that can be effective in subsequent lines of therapy as well.”
During an appearance on the Today show on Wednesday, Coulier revealed that he’s finished one round of chemotherapy and had three surgeries thus far. He said he could be in “total remission” by February 2025 if treatment goes as planned.
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Hill confirmed that “five or six months” of chemotherapy is common for patients with lymphoma, adding, “For a young person like him who’s otherwise presumably healthy, those side effects are typically manageable. [In terms of next steps], he’s in a complete remission. We would anticipate a full recovery.”
He continued: “For most of these aggressive B-cell lymphomas, if we get into remission, that’s usually going to stay there. Now, there can be exceptions, of course, but if that occurs then there are new and exciting ways of treating it in that case as well.”
While a respiratory infection ultimately led Coulier to discover his diagnosis, Hill told Us that there aren’t many preventative measures for lymphoma aside from living a healthy lifestyle.
“Maintaining high levels of physical activity helps all cancer patients live longer. And that’s sometimes easier said than done if you have side effects from treatment,” he explained. “But ultimately, if you’re done with treatment and are able to recover, maintaining a highly active lifestyle is probably the best medicine.”
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Coulier famously starred as Joey Gladstone on all eight seasons of Full House from 1987 to 1995. While speaking with People on Wednesday, Coulier said he got “immediate” responses when he broke his cancer news to his former costars via a group text.
“It was just this outpouring of, ‘I will be there. You just name the time, and I know you’re in great hands with [wife Melissa Bring], but what can we do?’” he shared. “It really is overwhelming the love that we have for each other. We’ve been there for so many years for each other, and it’s pretty remarkable.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
