Dave Coulier can probably expect a positive result during his journey against cancer, according to the oncologist Dr. Brian Hill.

Coulier, 65, revealed on Wednesday (November 13) that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma stage III last month. According to Hill, who is the director of the Lymphoid Malignancy Program at the Cleveland Clinic, Coulier’s cancer can have a “90 percent cure rate.”

“This would not be the total cure rate for this diagnosis. It would probably be more in the 70 to 80 percent range on average,” Hill exclusively said We weekly Thursday, November 14. “But within that average, there are people who have more favorable and less favorable traits that could have influenced that determination.”

Hill defined non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as “a collection of different diagnoses that are characterized by an abnormal cancer cell in the lymphatic system, usually something called a B cell.” He noted that “there are many different types” of lymphoma, which can affect how the disease is treated.

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“Some (diagnoses) are a little more aggressive and can make people sick quickly. Others are a little slower or indolent,” he said. “And so there are very effective treatments for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a lot of that depends on the specific diagnosis.”

Coulier said People on Wednesday that he was diagnosed after his lymph nodes swelled as a result of an upper respiratory infection, with an area growing to the size of a golf ball. In Hill’s view, the Full house alum may have “diffuse large B-cell lymphoma,” the “most common” form of the disease.

“This is actually curable if that’s the diagnosis, in that the treatments, which are usually drugs, chemotherapy, drugs that circulate throughout the body, can in many cases eliminate all the lymphoma from the body,” he said. “That doesn’t always happen, and if it doesn’t happen on the first try, there are still other treatments that can be effective in later lines of therapy.”

During an appearance on Today show on Wednesday, Coulier revealed that he has completed one round of chemotherapy and has had three surgeries so far. He said he could be in “full remission” by February 2025 if treatment goes according to plan.

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Hill confirmed that “five or six months” of chemotherapy is common for lymphoma patients, adding: “For a young person like him, who is otherwise probably healthy, those side effects are usually manageable. (As for next steps), he is in complete remission. We would anticipate a full recovery.”

He continued: “For most of these aggressive B-cell lymphomas, if we go into remission, it usually stays there. Now, there may be exceptions, of course, but if that happens, then there are new and interesting ways to deal with it in that case as well.”

While a respiratory infection ultimately led Coulier to discover his diagnosis, Hill said Us that there aren’t many preventative measures for lymphoma other than a healthy lifestyle.

“Maintaining a high level of physical activity helps all cancer patients live longer. And that’s sometimes easier said than done if you have side effects from the treatment,” he explained. “But ultimately, if you’re done with treatment and can recover, maintaining a highly active lifestyle is probably the best medicine.”

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Coulier starred as Joey Gladstone in all eight seasons of Full house from 1987 to 1995. While talking to People On Wednesday, Coulier said he got “immediate” responses when he broke the cancer news to his exes via a group message.

“There was just this outpouring of ‘I’ll be there.’ Just name the time and I know you’re in great hands with (wife Melissa Bring), but what can we do?” he shared. “It’s really overwhelming the love we have for each other. We’ve been there for so many years for each other and it’s pretty remarkable.”

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi