Full House star Dave Coulier revealed he's been diagnosed with tongue cancer, less than a year after treatment was successful against his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Coulier, 66, shared his health update during an interview on Dec. 2 on Today, calling the news a "shock to the system.""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, before explaining that he was diagnosed with HPV-related oropharyngeal tongue cancer in October.
Coulier had shared that he was cancer-free following his battle with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, just six months before he received the new diagnosis.
He noted that he had not exhibited any symptoms or signs before the discovery during a follow-up scan. Story continues below advertisement "A couple of months ago, I had a PET scan, and something flared on the scan," Coulier recalled. "The doctor said, 'We don't know what it is, but there's something at the base of your tongue.'"He said that his doctor had performed a biopsy. "It was very painful. It's like if you bit your tongue, but the pain just lasted every single day," he said.
Coulier shared that the initial biopsy didn't show any signs of cancer. More on Entertainment More videos Kneecap launches defamation case against Liberal MP over entry ban video With the release of The Beatles Anthology 4, has the well run dry? Maybe, maybe not. Kevin Spacey to face 3 more sexual assault allegations in London court Veteran broadcaster John Oakley signs off after 46 years on the air Holiday panto returns to Toronto with 'Robin Hood: A Very Merry Family Musical' Rihanna shares never-before-seen family photos The Morning Show: December 1 The Whistler Film Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary "We thought, 'This is great. We're still not sure what it is, but there aren't any cancer cells,'" he explained.
At his next scheduled PET scan in October, Coulier said that his doctors noticed the growth on his tongue had flared again and grown in size.
He said that he went to an ear, nose and throat oncologist for more testing. After a CT scan and an MRI, doctors performed another biopsy to remove a larger piece of his tongue.
Once the biopsy results came back positive for cancerous cells, Coulier was diagnosed with early-stage P16 carcinoma, or oropharyngeal tongue cancer, which starts in a part of the throat known as the oropharynx.A cancerous tumour is a group of cancer cells that can grow into and destroy nearby tissue, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. It can also spread to other parts of the body. Story continues below advertisement P16 is a protein that's a marker for HPV, or human papillomavirus. A P16-positve cancer is caused by infection with HPV-16, a type of high-risk HPV, according to the American Cancer Society."They said it's totally unrelated to my non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This is a new cancer. ... I said, 'Are you kidding me?'" Coulier recalled. 5:45 New study highlights Canadian men's need for proactive health care The actor said that doctors told him it could "stem from having an HPV virus up to 30 years ago." Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. "A lot of people carry the HPV virus, but they said mine activated and turned into a carcinoma," he added."We found it early enough where it's very treatable. ... It's got a 90 per cent curability rate," Coulier said. "The doctor said the prognosis is good, but we're going to start radiation immediately." Story continues below advertisement Coulier said he is currently undergoing radiation therapy, with 35 treatments in total, Monday through Friday, which will continue through the end of the year."It's a whole different animal than chemo. It doesn't feel as aggressive, but there are still side effects," he said, adding that the side effects include nausea, "radiation brain" and pain on the left side of his face and tongue, where tissue was removed for the biopsy."My joke usually is ... I'm doing really well for a guy with cancer."Coulier said that experiencing two different cancer diagnoses in one year has taken a toll."It's emotional. It's psychologically draining. It's also a big drain to my wife, Melissa, which is the biggest drain on me, seeing how this affects her," he said.
Coulier said that his doctors expect the cancer to "be cured" after radiation. His last treatment is on Dec. 31."I get to start the new year saying, I finished radiation yesterday! It's kind of serendipitous," he added."The silver lining here is that I had cancer, which helped me detect my other cancer. It seems crazy to be making that statement, but it's true," Coulier said."Had I not gone in and listened to my doctors and mad