James Van Der Beek announced his colorectal cancer diagnosis in an interview with People magazine on Sunday. He later apologized on Instagram to his loved ones who found out through the media. Van der Beek’s announcement comes as more people under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer.
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James Van Der Beek has announced that he has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
In an interview with People magazine published Sunday, the “Dawson’s Creek” actor said he is dealing with the diagnosis privately with the support of his family and is “taking steps toward resolution.”
Van der Beek, 47, added: “There is reason for optimism and I feel good.”
The actor did not provide any details about his cancer prognosis, but later that day he took to Instagram to apologize to those around him who had to learn his news online.
“I don’t have a strategy for how I’m going to publish these things, but I was planning to talk about this at length in People magazine in the near future…to raise awareness and tell my story in my own words.” he wrote. “However, we had to change those plans early this morning when we were informed that the tabloid was planning to publish this story.”
Van der Beek, a father of six, added that he had personally faced cancer and received the necessary treatment. “This is quite the beginning. I’ll talk more about it when I’m ready,” he said, adding that nothing is happening on his “preferred timeline” when it comes to sharing the news.
“But we cooperate and take each surprise as a signpost that leads us to a greater destiny that we would never have discovered without divine intervention.”
Representatives for Mr. Van Der Beek did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment outside of normal business hours.
Increase in colorectal cancer among young people
Van der Beek’s announcement comes as more young people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, according to the American Cancer Society’s 2023 report.
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Colorectal cancer starts from growths called polyps in the lining of the colon or rectum. Depending on where the growth occurs, it may also be called colon cancer or rectal cancer, according to the ACS.
Although experts are unsure of the exact cause behind the rise in cases, Dr. Michael Shusterman, a gastroenterologist at New York University Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, says certain lifestyle changes can improve colon cancer. He told BI that it may reduce the risk of developing rectal cancer.
He suggested reducing red meat intake because there is a link between colon cancer and eating too much red meat. Instead, eating more tree nuts and vitamin D may be beneficial.
Colorectal cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50. However, if detected early, the survival rate is about 90%, the ACS said.
Symptoms to watch for include abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and iron deficiency.
JJ Singleton was 27 years old when she noticed a throbbing pain in her abdomen. I thought it was a muscle tear, but it turned out to be stage 2 colon cancer.
“It’s important to educate people about colon cancer, even if they don’t like to talk about bowel movements,” he previously told BI.
Similarly, Josh Harting noticed clotted blood in his stool when he was 34 years old. After undergoing a colonoscopy as recommended by my doctor, I discovered that I had stage 3 colon cancer.
Harting, now 44, is cancer-free. But he continues to raise awareness, urging people to get tested if they notice anything unusual.
“You might think a colonoscopy is uninteresting, but colon cancer is a million times worse,” he says.
