James Van Der Beek shared colorectal cancer warning sign months before his death

Prior to James van der Beek’s death at age 48 on Feb.11, the actor revealed the first warning sign of his from colon cancer.(iStock)

“Before my diagnosis, I didn’t know much aboutcolorectal cancer,” Van Der Beek said.“I didn’t even realize the screening age [had] dropped to 45;I thought it was still 50.”

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He ultimately underwent a colonoscopy, which revealed that the actor had stage 3 colon cancer.

COLORECTAL CANCER MAY CAUSE THESE 4 HIDDEN WARNING SIGNS, EXPERTS SAY

Professor Eitan Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., an oncologist and founder of The Suzanne Levy-Gertner Oncogenetics Unit at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, confirmed that changes in bowel habits are the primary red flag that should raise the suspicion of colorectal cancer.

Others include fatigue (linked to anemia), blood in stool,

“I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea.”

Dr.Erica Barnell, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist at Washington University School of Medicine — and co-founder and chief medical officer at Geneoscopy — noted that Van Der Beek’s experience of having no “glaring” signs is common.

The “Dawson’s Creek” actor, 48, who announced his colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024, previously told Healthline that initially, “there wasn’t any red flag or something glaring.”(Getty Images)

Symptoms are “especially worrisome” for those 45 and older who have at least one first-degree relative with colon cancer orother GI malignancies, and those with active inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, added Friedman, who is also an advisory board member at SpotitEarly, a startup that offers an at-home breath test to detect early-stage cancer signals.

Early detection is key

The overall chance of an average-risk person getting colorectal cancer over a lifetime is 4% to 5%, according to Friedman.

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“Colonoscopy at age 45 onwards, at five- to 10-year intervals, has been shown to lead to early detection of polyps that have the potential to become malignant, and to allow for their removal as an effective means of minimizing the risk of malignant transformation,” he said. 

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screening technologies,” along with efforts to increase public awareness.

“Colonoscopy at age 45 onwards, at five- to 10-year intervals, has been shown to lead to early detection of polyps that have the potential to become malignant, and to allow for their removal as an effective means of minimizing the risk of malignant transformation,” an expert said. (iStock)

“Most people don’t like talking about bowel habits, but paying attention to changes can save your life,” Barnell said.“Screening gives us the chance to find problems early — often before you feel sick — and that can make all the difference.”

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