{"id":4992,"date":"2026-02-11T22:52:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T22:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ventil.rs\/blog\/health\/james-van-der-beek-shared-colorectal-cancer-warning-sign-months-before-his-death\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T22:52:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T22:52:49","slug":"james-van-der-beek-shared-colorectal-cancer-warning-sign-months-before-his-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ventil.rs\/blog\/health\/james-van-der-beek-shared-colorectal-cancer-warning-sign-months-before-his-death\/","title":{"rendered":"James Van Der Beek shared colorectal cancer warning sign months before his death"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Prior to James Van Der Beek’s death at age 48, the actor revealed the first warning sign of his colon cancer<\/a> \u2014 and it\u2019s one that did not seem alarming at the time.<\/p>\n

The “Dawson\u2019s Creek” actor’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed his passing in a social media post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Following the announcement of his colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024, Van Der Beek told Healthline in August that “there wasn\u2019t any red flag or something glaring.”<\/p>\n

COLORECTAL CANCER NOW DEADLIEST TYPE FOR CERTAIN GROUP OF AMERICANS, STUDY FINDS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“I was healthy. I was doing the cold plunge,” he said. “I was in amazing cardiovascular shape<\/a>, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea.”<\/p>\n

The one symptom that he did experience was a change in bowel movements, which the actor chalked up to an effect of his coffee consumption.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Before my diagnosis, I didn\u2019t know much about colorectal cancer<\/a>,” Van Der Beek said. “I didn\u2019t even realize the screening age [had] dropped to 45; I thought it was still 50.”<\/p>\n

He ultimately underwent a colonoscopy, which revealed that the actor had stage 3 colon cancer.<\/p>\n

COLORECTAL CANCER MAY CAUSE THESE 4 HIDDEN WARNING SIGNS, EXPERTS SAY<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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 is the primary red flag that should raise the suspicion of colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n

Others include fatigue (linked to anemia), blood in stool, weight loss<\/a>, loss of appetite and abdominal discomfort, as Friedman, who has not treated Van Der Beek, previously told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

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“I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea.”<\/p>\n

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Dr. Erica Barnell, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist at Washington University School of Medicine \u2014 and co-founder and chief medical officer at Geneoscopy \u2014 noted that Van Der Beek\u2019s experience of having no “glaring” signs is common.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“Many colorectal cancers develop silently, without obvious symptoms,” Barnell, who also did not treat the actor, previously told Fox News Digital. “By the time symptoms appear, the disease may already be advanced.”<\/p>\n

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The “Dawson\u2019s Creek” actor, 48, who announced his colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024, previously told Healthline that initially, “there wasn\u2019t any red flag or something glaring.”<\/span> (Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Symptoms are “especially worrisome” for those 45 and older who have at least one first-degree relative with colon cancer or other GI malignancies<\/a>, and those with active inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Early detection is key<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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

“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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Barnell noted, “screening compliance in the U.S. remains below national targets, and gaps are widest in rural, low-income and minority communities.”<\/p>\n

To help close those gaps, she called for greater access to “accurate, noninvasive screening technologies<\/a>,” along with efforts to increase public awareness.<\/p>\n

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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,” an expert said.\u00a0<\/span> (iStock)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Most people don\u2019t 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 \u2014 often before you feel sick \u2014 and that can make all the difference.”<\/p>\n

For more Health articles, visit\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/i><\/a>www.foxnews.com\/health<\/u><\/strong><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Fox News Digital previously reached out to Van Der Beek\u2019s representative for comment.<\/p>\n

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Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Prior to James Van Der Beek’s death at age 48, the actor revealed the first warning sign of his colon cancer \u2014 and it\u2019s one that did not seem alarming at the time. The “Dawson\u2019s Creek” actor’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed his passing in a…<\/p>\n

Read More “James Van Der Beek shared colorectal cancer warning sign months before his death”<\/span> »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/james-van-der-beek-actor-colon-cancer.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nJames Van Der Beek shared colorectal cancer warning sign months before his death - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ventil.rs\/blog\/health\/james-van-der-beek-shared-colorectal-cancer-warning-sign-months-before-his-death\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"James Van Der Beek shared colorectal cancer warning sign months before his death\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! 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