"Full House" star Dave Coulier.

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

Dave Coulier is facing another battle with cancer.

The comedian known as Joey Gladstone on the classic sitcom "Full House" announced his diagnosis of HPV-related oropharyngeal tongue cancer on NBC's "Today" on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The revelation comes a little more than a year after Coulier, 66, was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Coulier said he had been "cancer-free" for seven months following chemotherapy.

"A year has flown by like that," he said. "It's been a roller coaster. 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."

Coulier's first cancer was discovered after he noticed a golfball-sized lymph node in his groin. He said he had no symptoms before the tongue cancer diagnosis, which doctors found during a follow-up scan.

Doctors performed a biopsy, which Coulier described as painful.

"It's like if you bit your tongue, but the pain just lasted every single day," he said.

While the first test didn't show cancer, a later scan showed that the growth had returned and increased in size. A second, deeper biopsy confirmed that Coulier had early-stage, P16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Coulier said his doctors told him that the tongue cancer is "totally unrelated" to his non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis.

"They said it could stem from having an HPV virus up to 30 years ago," Coulier said. "A lot of people carry the HPV virus, but they said mine activated and turned into a carcinoma."

According to the American Cancer Society, the P16 protein is a marker for HPV, or human papillomavirus. HPV-16 is transmitted sexually, and a long-lasting infection can cause cells to become cancerous, the National Cancer Institute says.

Oncologists say P16-positive oropharyngeal cancers typically have better outcomes than P16-negative cases.

"We found it early enough where it's very treatable," said Coulier. "It's got a 90% curability rate. The doctor said the prognosis is good, but we're going to start radiation immediately."

Coulier is in the middle of 35 radiation sessions that run Monday through Friday through the end of 2025.

"It's a whole different animal than chemo," he said. "It doesn't feel as aggressive, but there are still side effects."

Coulier spoke about the emotional toll that his cancer diagnoses have had on his family.

"It's psychologically draining," he said. "It's also a big drain to my wife, Melissa, which is the biggest drain on me, seeing how this affects her."

Beyond his time as Uncle Joey on "Full House" and the Netflix reboot "Fuller House," Coulier is well-known as the voice of Animal and Bunsen Honeydew on the 80s cartoon "Muppet Babies." He's also hosted shows like "America's Funniest People," made a guest appearance on "How I Met Your Mother," and been a voice actor for several characters on the adult animated show "Robot Chicken."

Coulier also announced the launch of his "toxin-free wellness" brand called AwearMarket, which is backed by the V Foundation for Cancer Research.