Full House star confirms new cancer diagnosis just months after overcoming lymphoma
The star opened up about the main thing he believes saved his life after two devastating diagnoses
Kit Roberts
The star of Full House has confirmed the awful news of a new cancer diagnosis, after previously recovering from a separate bout of the condition.
Dave Coulier recently shared that he had beaten stage 3 non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, only to get yet another devastating diagnosis just months later.
The Full House actor said that the second diagnosis was unrelated to the first one, and medics spotted it when he went for a PET scan and a checkup.
This time, the diagnosis is a p16 squamous carcinoma, a type of cancer which affects the head and neck.
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After getting his second diagnosis, Coulier has opened up about the one thing which he thinks has dramatically improved his prognosis.
In an appearance on Today, co-anchor Craig Melvin questioned him about the condition.
"Prognosis is very good for P16 squamous carcinoma, so it has a 90+ curability rate," Coulier explained.
He went on to reveal what he believes has 'saved his life', adding: "But the thing that has really saved my life, Craig, is that early detection saved my life, not just the first time but the second time as well."
Coulier then urged people to make sure they always get themselves checked out if they come across something which they suspect could be cancer.
"So I hope you’re getting your check-ups," Coulier said. "I hope your colonoscopies and breast exams and prostate exams, they will save your life."
Explaining how he got the second diagnosis, Coulier clarified that it was 'totally unrelated to the previous cancer'.
He said: "So in October of this year, I went in for a PET scan, just a routine check-up and something flared on the PET scan. It turned out that I have P16 squamous carcinoma at the base of my tongue.
"So I said to the doctors, I said, ‘Well, did this happen because of the lymphoma?’ And they said, ‘Totally unrelated.’"
The star has previously revealed to PEOPLE in 2024 that he lost his mom, his 36-year-old sister Sharon, and his 29-year-old niece Shannon to breast cancer in a heartbreaking series of tragedies.
Not only that but while he was ill, his elder sister Karen also had cancer.
Revealing how he got through his own health struggles, he said: "I saw what those women in my family went through, and I thought to myself, ‘If I can be just 1/10th of a percent as strong as they were, then I'm going to be just fine.'"