Actor James Van Der Beek revealed that he has colorectal cancer, as experts have said there has been a rise in cases.
Van Der Beek told People Magazine that he has continued to work while battling the cancer.
“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 47-year-old actor told People. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”
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The actor said he had not planned to reveal his diagnosis so soon. He apologized to family who he said would find out through the media before hearing from him directly.
“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them. There’s no playbook for how announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms. But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news,” he wrote.
Van Der Beek rose to stardom in 1998 as the star of the television drama “Dawson’s Creek” and the film “Varsity Blues.”
According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the U.S.
Early detection is key for surviving colorectal cancer, experts say. According to the American Cancer Society, those diagnosed with colon cancer before it spreads to other parts of the body have a five-year survival rate of 91%. However, when cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs, or distant lymph nodes, the survival rate drops to 13%.
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Currently, health officials recommend that adults over age 45 with an average risk of colorectal cancer either provide a stool sample every 1-3 years or have a colonoscopy every decade. The American Cancer Society, however, notes that over 40% of Americans over age 45 are not up to date with screenings.