James Van Der Beek revealed his cancer diagnosis this week in an interview with People Magazine. He said: “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”
The actor added he felt: “there is reason for optimism” and said he was “feeling good.”
The 47-year-old found fame on Dawson’s Creek alongside Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams, starring in the titular role of Dawson Leery from 1998 to 2003. He is married to Kimberly Van Der Beek who he met in 2009 and married in 2010. The pair have six children named Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.
On the pair’s 14th anniversary this year, Van Der Beek wrote a tribute to his wife on Instagram, thanking her for her “courage, strength, vulnerability, and tenderness.”
He added: “In the past, I feel like you’ve always set the pace for our co-evolution, but this year, as I’ve gone through my own radical transformation, you’ve tirelessly put in the work and somehow managed to match it. I love you beyond. Happy anniversary. Thank you for being in the world.”
Van Der Beek has continued to work since his diagnosis. His next projects are a Tubi original film called Sidelined: The QB and Me, out later this month, and he will appear in The Real Full Monty, a two-hour US special riffing off the 2000’s film which aims to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research.
No doubt the actor speaking publicly about his diagnosis will help to raise awareness of it in the UK as well. She’s not the first public figure to be diagnosed with the disease — in 2022, Deborah James, a former deputy headteacher died at the age of 40. She left an extraordinary legacy: a blogger, journalist and presenter of the BBC Radio 5 podcast You, Me and the Big C, James raised millions of pounds to raise awareness of bowel cancer in the six years since she was diagnosed with the illness.
Bowel cancer — or colorectal cancer, as it’s sometimes known as it can affect the large bowel — is the fourth most common type of cancer in the UK, with almost 44,000 people diagnosed every year. According to Bowel Cancer UK it is treatable and curable if caught early, and there is a national screening programme available.
Dr Liza Osagie, founder of SOLICE, the private GP and longevity service, shares her insights on bowel cancer in case you have concerns regarding the disease or your risk from it.
Who is susceptible to bowel cancer?
Bowel cancer can affect people of any age, though 94 per cent of cases are diagnosed in people over the age of 50 in the UK. It is slightly more common in men, with 1 in 17 males and 1 in 20 women receiving a diagnosis of bowel cancer during their lifetime.
Dr Osagie adds that “people of East Asian ancestry may be more likely to develop stomach cancer, which is often triggered by Helicobacter pylori infection [a common bacteria that infects the stomach and upper small intestine]. Younger Hispanic women also are more likely to develop stomach cancer.”
She also notes that “the role of diet cannot be ignored: consuming large amounts of ultra-processed food may cause people to be at increased risk of developing bowel cancer. Ultra-processed foods include foods with high amounts of salt, fat, sugar, and artificial additives.”
Also to be considered is a potential link between a less diverse microbiome and increased risk for bowel cancer. “The microbiome is the community of bacteria and other microbes that live in the gut and help to regulate the digestive system. More diversity in the microbiome is generally associated with better health,” says Osagie. She adds that growing amounts of research are “investigating the rise of colon cancers in the young,” looking at “whether changes in diet, medications such as antibiotics, breastfeeding and C-section patterns, and parents' age at a child's birth might affect the microbiome and contribute to bowel cancer.”
What are the symptoms to look out for?
Bowel cancer “often presents with several key symptoms, though these can vary depending on the stage and location of the cancer,” explains Dr Osagie.
“The main symptoms are often changes in bowel habits; persistent diarrhoea or constipation, or changes in the shape and consistency of stools,” she adds. Though importantly: “if lasting longer than a few days without a clear cause.”
This could be accompanied by “a feeling of fullness, and not completely emptying the bowels.”
Bleeding in stools is another possible symptom. “Blood can appear bright red (often due to rectal bleeding) or dark and mixed in with the stool (common in cancers higher in the bowel).
Other potential signs include: “unexplained weight loss without changes in diet or exercise, which may occur as the body uses more energy to try to fight the cancer, or because the tumour is interfering with nutrient absorption.”
As well as potentially: cramping in the stomach area due to the “tumour pressing on other organs or tissues,” and bloating or a feeling of fullness, even without eating much.
Though Dr Osagie explains that generally ‘feeling out of sorts’ could be an indicator, so if you have “weakness and tiredness that cannot be explained, you should always be discuss it with your doctor.”
What should you do if you think you might have bowel cancer?
“If you suspect you might have bowel cancer, schedule a visit with your doctor as soon as possible. They may recommend a physical exam, blood tests, and potentially a colonoscopy to check for any signs of cancer” says Dr Osagie.
“It's important to keep track of symptoms, especially changes in bowel habits or persistent pain, and share these with your healthcare provider. Early testing and preventative screening can lead to quicker diagnosis and more effective treatment if needed,” she says.
For support as a cancer sufferer or as the friend or family of someone who has been diagnoses visit macmillan.org.uk
