At first glance, James Van Der Beek seemed to embody health. The 48-year-old Dawson’s Creek alum was plunging into cold water, keeping up his cardiovascular workouts, and—by his own account—feeling strong. Yet behind the scenes, his body was telling a story he didn’t recognize.
“There wasn’t any red flag or something glaring,” Van Der Beek told Healthline. “I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea” .
The only signal was a shift in his bowel habits—something he chalked up to his morning coffee. “I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee,” he recalled to People. “Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I'd better get this checked out’”
That decision led to a colonoscopy, and with it, a diagnosis: stage 3 colon cancer.
Why That Small Change Matters
Medical experts say his experience is not rare. Professor Eitan Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., explained that altered bowel habits—whether constipation, diarrhea, or both—are “the primary red flag that should raise the suspicion of colorectal cancer”. Sometimes, stools may appear pencil-thin if a tumor narrows the passageway
Other warning signs can be more visible—fatigue from anemia, blood in stool, unexplained weight loss, abdominal discomfort—but these don’t always appear early. Dr. Erica Barnell noted that many colorectal cancers “develop silently, without obvious symptoms” and by the time they do, “the disease may already be advanced”.
The Bigger Picture: Rising Rates in Younger Adults
Van Der Beek’s case also fits into a worrying trend. Over the past three decades, colorectal cancer diagnoses in younger adults have steadily increased, even as rates in older adults have fallen. In 2019, 20% of cases were found in people under 55, nearly double the share from 1995
The American Cancer Society warns that mortality in those under 55 has been rising about 1% annually since the mid-2000s. Part of the reason: younger patients are often diagnosed at more advanced stages, sometimes after being misdiagnosed—82% of young survivors, according to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, reported an initial misdiagnosis.
Screening: More Than Just a Colonoscopy
For average-risk individuals, current guidelines recommend screening starting at age 45. A colonoscopy every five to ten years can catch and remove precancerous polyps before they turn malignant.
Still, barriers—time off work, discomfort, cost—keep many from getting screened. To address this, Van Der Beek has partnered with Guardant Health to promote its Shield blood test, which the FDA says detected 83% of colorectal cancers in a study. “It’s convenient, simple, FDA approved—it’s a simple blood draw, and it could be done at your next doctor’s appointment,” he said.
“Most people don’t like talking about bowel habits, but paying attention to changes can save your life,” Barnell emphasized .
A Personal Mission
For Van Der Beek, raising awareness has become part of his healing. “I feel like it’s a big part of my healing process to spread the word and to help anybody I can from having to go through what I have been through.”
And his message is clear: don’t wait for glaring signs. “I really want to impress upon people that you don’t need symptoms to get screened. If you are 45 or older or have a family history, talk to your doctor about your screening options.”
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