Actor James Van Der Beek recently opened up about going “into shock” upon receiving his cancer diagnosis.

Earlier this week, the 47-year-old revealed that he is battling stage 3 colorectal cancer.

He has since spoken to People magazine about when he was alerted to the disease’s first symptoms in hopes of spreading awareness.

James Van Der Beek is delving deeper into his cancer journey after going public with the news earlier this week

Image credits: vanderjames

Van Der Beek’s family had no previous history of cancer, and the actor had always put in the effort to take care of his body. Thus, he said he didn’t have much reason to suspect anything was wrong. 

“I’d always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles,” he said to the outlet. “But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time.”

His first sign that something was amiss came in the summer of 2023, when he noticed a change in his bowel movements.

Image credits: vanderjames

“I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee,” Van Der Beek said. “Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out.’” 

He underwent a colonoscopy, and, although he felt “really good coming out of anesthesia,” was stunned to learn of his diagnosis.

The actor briefly shared the treatment options he was considering, but didn’t go into any specific details

Image credits: vanderjames

Van Der Beek said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the whole process, even though it hasn’t been very easy.

“The trickiest thing is there are so many unknowns with cancer,” he mentioned. “You think, ‘How do I fix this? Is this healing me? Is this hurting me? Is this working? Is it coming back?’ As someone who likes answers, not knowing is one of the hardest things.”

He added, “I’m in a place of healing, my energy levels are great. When I’ve been out of the woods completely for what feels like a responsible amount of time, I’ll circle back and let you know.

“I have a lot to live for.”

Colon cancer rates are dropping steadily but “early on-set” stages of the disease have started to affect younger people

Image credits: vanderjames

Older adults are the most common victims of colon cancer but it seems the demographic is starting to change, according to Andreas Kaiser, professor and chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery at the City of Hope. 

In 2002, the average age for a colon cancer diagnosis was 72. By 2019, it was down to 66.

“I’m seeing an alarming number of young patients,” Kaiser said, adding that he had even treated patients in their teens. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, colon cancer occurs when small clumps of cells start growing rapidly in the largest part of the large intestine. Symptoms include a change in bowel habits or ongoing discomfort in the belly area. 

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