Since going public with stage III non-Hodgkin lymphoma in November 2024, Dave Coulier has been candid about his illness, treatment and prognosis before his second diagnosis.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the patient’s lymphatic system, with “white blood cells called lymphocytes [that] grow abnormally and can form growths (tumors) throughout the body,” according to the Mayo Clinic. With his wife Melissa Bring by his side, Coulier has relied on his doctors’ “very specific plan for how they were going to treat” the cancer.
“That was really a conscious decision of, I’m going to meet this head-on, and I want people to know it’s my life,” Coulier explained in a November 2024 episode of his “Full House Rewind” podcast after he revealed his diagnosis. “I’m not going to try and hide anything. I would rather talk about it and open the discussion and inspire people.”
Coulier’s treatment is ongoing, with the plan after his diagnosis being for him to complete chemotherapy in February 2025 and be in “total remission.”
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Bring, however, revealed in January 2025 that the treatment is taking its toll on Coulier.
“He has some really tough days, and as the chemo has been accumulating it gets a little tougher and more difficult,” Bring said during an interview with WXYZ published on Thursday, January 23.
She added that on good days, they play a song and have a “dance party with the dogs” to celebrate the positive moments.
Keep scrolling for everything Coulier has said about his cancer battle.
Coping With His Diagnosis
Coulier was first diagnosed in October 2024 after he battled an upper-respiratory infection that resulted in severe swelling of his lymph nodes. When one area swelled to the size of a golf ball, he underwent PET and CT scans and a biopsy, which revealed the cancer.
“I went from, ‘I got a little bit of a head cold,’ to ‘I have cancer,’ and it was pretty overwhelming,” he told People. “This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey.”
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Good Days and Bad Days
Coulier expanded on Bring’s comments about the good and bad days, adding that when things are going well, the lifelong hockey fan can even skate.
“Some days are nauseous and dizzy, and then there’s other days where the steroids kick in, and I feel like I have a ton of energy,” he told People. “I actually skated yesterday with some friends here in Detroit. We just went and skated around and shot pucks, and it was wonderful just to be out there doing something that I love and just trying to stay focused on all the great stuff that I have in my life.”
Early Detection
While Coulier continues his own battle, he’s also using his platform to help others understand the importance of early detection.
“There’s a lot to live for. And if that means talking with your doctors or getting a mammogram or a breast exam or a colonoscopy, it can really make a big change in your life,” he said, per People.
He added that since his diagnosis, he has heard from others who have gone for check-ups.
“I have heard from so many people who have been inspired enough by my words and actions to say that they are going to check in with their doctors and get mammograms, a colonoscopy or a prostate exam,” Coulier shared via Instagram in November 2024. “I’m still going to laugh in the face of adversity.”
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His Prognosis
Coulier expressed optimism about his recovery after a bone marrow test came back negative shortly after his diagnosis.
“At that point, my chances of curable went from something low to [the] 90 percent range,” he said. “And so that was a great day.”
Telling the Full House Cast
Coulier wanted to make sure his TV family, the cast of Full House, heard the news of his diagnosis from him.
“I didn’t want them to hear it from someone else, so I sent a text message out,” Coulier said. “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? 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.”
John Stamos Wears Bald Cap to Support Dave Coulier Amid Cancer Diagnosis
John Stamos Wearing a Bald Cap
After learning of his friend’s diagnosis, Stamos paid him a visit while wearing a bald cap in a show of support. He and Coulier posted a photo to Instagram, and while many were supportive, others criticized Stamos for not shaving his head.
“I’m sorry to see a bunch of negative comments as I’ve just begun my cancer journey,” Coulier wrote via Instagram on November 19. “It’s our friendship (me and John) and this is how we are handling a very tough time. I’m a comedian and humor is what drives me. John knows how to cheer me up and I laughed out loud when he arrived wearing a bald cap — being a true loving friend and brother.”
The ‘Constant Fight’
Coulier’s treatment has been a “constant fight,” he said on a January 2025 episode of his “Full House Rewind” podcast.
“The side effects have side effects,” he said. “And then you take a drug to counteract that and this and that. So it’s this constant cocktail where your body is in fight or flight mode and you’re just trying to adjust to, ‘Okay, how am I adjusting to steroids? How am I adjusting to the chemo cocktail?’”
“It’s a little bit of an internal battle,” he added.
Thinking About Death
“I think everybody’s mind goes there,” he said during a March 2025 interview with Parade. “It’s part of the reality of life. Like, ‘Wow, this is really serious’ and ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I’ve seen it so often in my family.”
Bring recalled having “tough” conversations with her husband.
“After [the fifth round of] chemo, he was like, ‘I don’t know if I could do this again,’” she said. “He was like, ‘I’m prepared either way. If I die, I die. And if I can stay here, great. I want to.’”
Getting a 2nd Diagnosis
After beating non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Coulier revealed in December 2025 that he received a second cancer diagnosis.
“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 the Today show, explaining that he was diagnosed with HPV-related oropharyngeal tongue cancer. “They said it’s totally unrelated to my non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is a new cancer. … I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
According to the American Cancer Society, P16 is a protein that’s a marker for HPV, or human papillomavirus. A P16-positive cancer is caused by infection with HPV-16, which is a type of high-risk HPV. (The National Cancer Institute noted that HPV-16 is transmitted sexually, and long-lasting infection can cause changes in the cells that can become cancer.)
“They said it could stem from having an HPV virus up to 30 years ago. A lot of people carry the HPV virus, but they said mine activated and turned into a carcinoma,” Coulier explained. “We found it early enough where it’s very treatable. … It’s got a 90 percent curability rate.”
Coulier’s medical team assured him that “the prognosis is good,” and he noted he was “going to start radiation immediately.” He is currently undergoing radiation therapy, which entails 35 total treatments for five days a week until the end of the year.
