Before James Van Der Beek passed away at the age of 48, the actor revealed his first red flag. colon cancer — and that wasn’t surprising at the time.
The “Dawson’s Creek” actor’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed his death in a social media post Wednesday.
After announcing his colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024, Van Der Beek told Healthline in August that there were “no red flags or anything obvious.”
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“I was healthy. I was doing cold plunges,” he said. “I was amazing. cardiovascular shapeand I had stage 3 cancer, and I didn’t know anything. ”
One of the symptoms he actually experienced was a change in bowel movements, which the actor claimed was due to the effects of coffee consumption.
“I didn’t really know much about it until I was diagnosed.” colorectal cancer“I didn’t even know the screening age,” Van Der Beek said. [had] It has dropped to 45. I thought he was only 50 years old. ”
Eventually, he underwent a colonoscopy and discovered he had stage 3 colon cancer.
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Professor Eitan Friedman, oncologist and founder of the Suzanne Levy Gartner Tumor Genetics Unit at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, acknowledged that changes in bowel habits are a major red flag that raises suspicion of colorectal cancer.
Other symptoms include fatigue (related to anemia), bloody stools, weight lossAs Dr. Friedman, who has not treated Van Der Beek, previously told Fox News Digital, he has a loss of appetite and abdominal discomfort.
Dr. Erica Burnell, a physician-scientist at the University of Washington School of Medicine and co-founder and chief medical officer of Geneoscopy, said van der Beek’s experience of having no “obvious” signs was common.
“Most colorectal cancers progress silently, without any obvious symptoms,” Burnell previously told Fox News Digital, although he did not treat the actor. “By the time symptoms appear, the disease may already be advanced.”
The condition is “particularly concerning” for people over the age of 45 who have colon cancer or at least one first-degree relative with colon cancer. Other gastrointestinal malignanciesFriedman added that patients with active inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are also eligible. Friedman is also an advisory board member for SpotitEarly, a startup that offers at-home breath tests to detect early cancer signals.
Friedman said that people at average risk have an overall 4% to 5% chance of developing colorectal cancer over their lifetime.
“Colonoscopies every five to 10 years after the age of 45 have been shown to lead to early detection of potentially malignant polyps, allowing their removal as an effective means of minimizing the risk of malignant transformation,” he said.
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Unfortunately, Burnell said, “Testing compliance in the United States remains below national targets, with disparities greatest in rural, low-income, and minority communities.”
To fill these gaps, she called for increased access to “accurate, non-invasive information”. Screening technologyWe are also working to raise public awareness.
“Most people don’t like to talk about their bowel habits, but paying attention to changes can save lives,” says Burnell. “Screening gives you the opportunity to catch problems early, before you feel sick, and that can make a big difference.”
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Fox News Digital previously reached out to Van Der Beek’s representatives for comment.
