James Van Der Beek ignored this cancer symptom before his diagnosis

James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer

The actor confirmed the harrowing diagnosis in November 2024, but has since admitted he ignored symptoms of the illness for some time.

In a new interview with Healthline, the actor said there was one key symptom he ignored before he was officially diagnosed.

James said he was in good health before he got the news, so his stage 3 cancer diagnosis came as quite a shock.

He told the publication:

"There wasn’t any red flag or something glaring. I was healthy. I was doing the cold plunge.

The actor continued, "I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea."

The Dawson's Creek actor said he didn't know a lot about colorectal (bowel) cancer before his diagnosis.

"Before my diagnosis, I didn’t know much about colorectal cancer. I didn’t even realise the screening age dropped to 45; I thought it was still 50."

Van Der Beek said he did notice changes in his bowel movements prior to his diagnosis, but he thought it was due to his caffeine consumption.

"I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee. 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'."

The actor stressed that the cancer may be common, but it is curable.

"[Colorectal cancer] is the second leading cause of cancer death, but if you look closer, it’s also the most curable.

"I really want people to understand that [when found] in the early stages, the survival rates skyrocket."

What are the main signs of colorectal cancer?

According to Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of this form of cancer will depend on the cancer’s size and where it is in the large intestine.

The main symptoms include:

• A change in bowel habits, such as more-frequent diarrhea, constipation or changes in stool shape.
• Rectal bleeding or blood in the stool.
• Iron deficiency anemia, which can cause tiredness, weakness and a change in skin color.
• Ongoing discomfort in the belly area, such as cramps, gas, bloating or pain.
• Feeling full soon after eating.
• A feeling that the bowel doesn’t empty all the way during a bowel movement.
• Losing weight without trying.
• Swollen lymph nodes above the collarbone.
• A lump in the belly button area.
• Pain in the back, buttocks or legs.

Around 2,500 people are diagnosed with colorectal, also known as bowel cancer, in Ireland each year.

You can get bowel cancer screening if you are aged 59 to 70 and live in Ireland.

You can find out more here.