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Dave Coulier’s cancer journey: from stage 3 lymphoma to a second, unrelated cancer
Dave Coulier’s battle with cancer was a “roller coaster.”
In November 2024, the actor best known for Full House, told PEOPLE that he himself was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October of the previous year. The diagnosis came after he had an upper respiratory infection that led to a significant swelling of his lymph nodes. He went through seven months of aggressive chemotherapy and by March 2025 he was reported to have no cancer left in his body.
On a local TV show “Today” Dave Coulier made the announcement that, p16 squamous carcinoma was what he had been diagnosed with besides the fact that it was a completely different second cancer that surprised him the most. It was only after the diagnosis that he found out the two cancers were not related at all.
Dave Coulier on his second cancer diagnosis
“It is a fight, but I am fighting through,” Dave Coulier said to PEOPLE regarding his recent p16 squamous carcinoma diagnosis.
He mentioned that he “would never have thought of being cancer’s ambassador,” but Dave Coulier also revealed that if his acting in the role of a post will help by saving lives through promoting the recognition of the disease at its early stage and getting people to take steps, he is “glad to be the poster boy”.
What happened with Dave Coulier’s cancer and what he has said about his diagnoses and treatments – the whole story is here.
Coulier revealed his stage 3 lymphoma diagnosis in November 2024 for the first time
About a month after he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Dave Coulier shared his cancer journey with the public for the first time in November 2024. What initially appeared to be an upper respiratory infection with severely swollen lymph nodes eventually led to a PET scan, CT scan, and biopsy — followed by heartbreaking news.
“Three days later they called me back and the doctors said: ‘We want to have better news for you, but you have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, it’s B cell and very aggressive,”‘ he told PEOPLE. “I got a head cold and then I got cancer, and it was a very big shock. It has really been a roller coaster ride of a very fast journey so far,” he added.
Coulier explained that he, his wife Melissa Bring, and their close circle of friends from the medical profession didn’t waste any time confronting the diagnosis “head-on” together.
Dave Coulier and his wife, Melissa Bring, came up with a united plan to face his diagnosis
“It was kind of a thing we all did, putting our heads together and saying, ‘Okay, what is the way out of this?'”, Coulier mentioned regarding the people – doctors and family – who were there for him and his gathering.
His wife, Melissa Bring, also took the initiative to communicate through Instagram that her holistic wellness background made her feel “uniquely prepared” to be his caregiver. “Dave’s determination is my daily source of inspiration and as a team, we are doing everything to facilitate his recovery – and we do keep a high spirit by having a lot of laughter,” she said.
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Coulier and his wife Melissa Bring had “tough” talks during his grueling chemo
Dave Coulier was treated with a few rounds of chemotherapy after he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In March 2025, he and his wife, Melissa Bring, opened up to Parade about the difficult “what if” conversations they had during his treatment. “He was like, ‘I don’t think I could do this again,’ right after the [fifth round of] chemo,’” Bring remembered. “He was like, ‘I’m ready for any outcome. If I die, I die. And if I can stay here, then that’s great. I want to.’ Those talks were obviously so hard.’”
Before that, on his Full House Rewind podcast, Dave Coulier lamented that the side effects of his treatment were like a “roller coaster ride.” He went on to say, “It’s a very different cocktail in which your body is in fight or flight mode, and you’re just trying to adjust.”
Coulier was declared cancer-free in March 2025
It was confirmed by a representative in March 2025 that, after several rounds of chemotherapy, Dave Coulier, the star of Fuller House, is free of cancer. The former Full House co-stars of the actor didn’t take long to celebrate the milestone: John Stamos wrote, “Got the best news last night…” along with a FaceTime video with Coulier, and Candace Cameron Bure posted a selfie with Coulier and his wife, asking the fans to “celebrat[e] this AMAZING news” by themselves.
The news release closely followed the interview in which Coulier told Parade that he was waiting for the results of a CAT scan that would, he hoped, see cancer going into the “rear-view mirror.” “Today is the very first day when I really can say, ‘Wow, I’m feeling pretty darn good. I feel like myself,'” he said.
Dave Coulier announces another cancer diagnosis different from the first one in December 2025
After just a few months of being declared cancer-free, Dave Coulier revealed on Dec. 2 during an interview on Today that he has been diagnosed with a head and neck cancer of the p16 squamous carcinoma type.
He told PEOPLE that during a six-month checkup and PET scan, doctors found a flare-up they hadn’t noticed before. “I had been feeling really well, so I was completely thrown off,” he explained, pointing out that at first he thought the tumor was a metastasis of his lymphoma but later he was informed that the two cancers are entirely separate.
As a result, Dave Coulier is only on radiation therapy with 35 doses being planned and it is anticipated that he will finish his last session on December 31.
Dave Coulier credits early detection for “saving my life twice”
Even though Dave Coulier has shared his cancer journey with the world and its challenges, he has also, repeatedly, pointed out how essential early detection was.
Describing his second diagnosis, he informed PEOPLE that it was just a routine PET scan that revealed the new tumor: “In fact, if I hadn’t had that PET scan, then they wouldn’t have been able to make such an early detection and I would have ended up […] a world of pain very soon. So, as bizarre as it may sound, I’m actually now grateful to have had the first cancer because it helped me find this second one.”
Coulier indicated that his new cancer situation is one with “a high cure rate” and said that he “got lucky.”
“I think I am being given the chance to get well again so that I can be the voice that supports and promotes early detection by telling people to go for their prostate exams, mammograms, and colonoscopies,” he further said. “Early detection has saved my life twice.”
