Coulier shared the news during an interview on "Today" on Wednesday. He told the show's co-host Hoda Kotb that he was diagnosed with the disease five weeks ago.
"In that time I've had three surgeries, I've had chemotherapy, I've lost a little hair," he said, patting his head. "Now I look like a little bird, but it's definitely been a roller coaster."
Coulier said he had "B-cell lymphoma," which he described as "aggressive."
"The onset of this growing lymphoma in the groin area was very rapid, so I said, 'Nothing's right, I've got a golf ball here,'" she told Kotb. "We did a biopsy, we took it out, and they told us, 'If I had better news for you, you have B-cell lymphoma, we need to do chemotherapy right away.'"
According to the American Cancer Society, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common cancers in the United States, accounting for about 4% of all cancers.
The actor said he was home alone when he got the news, and when he told his wife Melissa that tests had found cancer, she told him to "stop joking." Then there was the hurdle of figuring out the staging of the cancer.
Fortunately, Coulier said, her bone marrow tests showed it hadn't spread.
"At that point, the cure rate was over 90 percent, so it's very treatable," he said.
After battling a cold, Coulier said the swelling in his groin grew rapidly within five days. Although his blood tests came back clear, he said scans showed "hot spots" on his neck and groin.
The star said she has undergone one round of chemotherapy so far and will have another this week. He joked about getting a preventative haircut, which allowed him to fit his hockey helmet better and made him "more aerodynamic on the ice."
The dedicated hockey player and fan remains as active and positive as possible with the expectation that he will be in full remission after completing treatment in February.
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