by - James Van Der Beek announced his colorectal cancer diagnosis in a People interview on Sunday.
- He later took to Instagram to apologize to his loved ones, who had to find out through the media.
- Van Der Beek’s announcement comes as more and more people under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
James Van Der Beek has announced his diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
In an interview In People, published Sunday, the “Dawson’s Creek” actor said he has dealt with the diagnosis privately and “taken steps to resolve it” with the support of his family.
“There is reason for optimism, and I feel good,” Van Der Beek (47) added.
Although the actor didn’t provide any details about his cancer prognosis, he took to Instagram later that day to apologize to people in his life who had to learn about his news online.
“There’s no playbook for how to announce these things, but I planned to talk about it in depth with People Magazine soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms,” he wrote. “But that plan had to change early this morning when I was told a tabloid would be reporting the news.”
Van Der Beek, a father of six, added that he was dealing with the cancer privately and was receiving the necessary treatment. “It was quite an initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready,” he said, adding that nothing about sharing the news had occurred on his “preferred timeline.”
“But we roll with it, treating each surprise as a signpost, pointing us to a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention.”
A representative for Van Der Beek did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
The rise of colorectal cancer in young people
Van Der Beek’s announcement comes as more and more young people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, according to a 2023 report from the American Cancer Society.
Colorectal cancer develops from growths called polyps in the inner lining of the colon or rectum. It may also be called colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where the growth occurs, ACS said.
While experts are unsure of the exact cause behind the rise in cases, Dr. Michael Shusterman, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, told BI that making certain lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
He suggested that people eat less red meat because there is a link between colon cancer and a diet high in red meat. Instead, eating more nuts and vitamin D may be helpful.
Colorectal cancer is also the leading cause of death from cancer in men under the age of 50. However, when caught early, the survival rate is about 90%, according to ACS.
Some symptoms to look out for include abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea and iron deficiency.
JJ Singleton was 27 when he noticed a throbbing pain in his stomach. He thought it was a pulled muscle, but it turned out to be stage 2 colon cancer.
“It is important to educate people about colon cancer, even if they do not like to talk about their bowel movements,” he previously told BI.
Similarly, at the age of 34, Josh Herting noticed clotted blood in his stool. After following his doctor’s recommendation to undergo a colonoscopy, he discovered he had stage 3 colon cancer.
Herting, now 44, is cancer-free. But he continues to raise awareness to encourage people to carry out checks if something is wrong.
“As much as you think a colonoscopy is no fun, colon cancer is a million times worse,” he said.