James van der Beek’s common warning sign for colon cancer before death

The “Dawson’s Creek” actor’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed his death in a social media post on Wednesday.

After announcing his colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024, Van Der Beek told Healthline in August that there was “no red flag or anything glaring.”

A study found that colorectal cancer is now the deadliest type for a certain group of Americans

“I was healthy. I was taking cold plunges,” he said. “You were in amazing shape Cardiovascular shape“And I had stage three cancer and I had no idea.”

The only symptom he experienced was a change in bowel movements, which the actor attributed to the effect of his coffee consumption.

Before James Van Der Beek died at the age of 48 on February 11, the actor revealed the first warning sign that he had colon cancer. (Istock)

“Before my diagnosis, I didn’t know much about it Colorectal cancer“I didn’t even realize that the screening age (had) dropped to 45,” said Van Der Beek. I thought it was still 50.”

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

Experts say colorectal cancer may cause these 4 hidden warning signs

Changes in bowel habits are the primary red flag that should raise suspicion of colorectal cancer, emphasized Professor Eitan Friedman, MD, PhD, an oncologist and founder of the Susan Levy-Gertner Genetic Oncology Unit at Sheba Medical Center in Israel.

Other symptoms include fatigue (related to anemia), blood in the stool, Weight lossLoss of appetite and abdominal pain, Friedman, who did not treat Van Der Beek, previously told Fox News Digital.

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

Van der Beek’s experience with no “glaring” signs is common, noted Dr. Erica Parnell, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist at the University of Washington School of Medicine — and co-founder and chief medical officer of Geneoscopy —.

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“Many colorectal cancers develop silently, without obvious symptoms,” Parnell, who also did not treat the actor, told Fox News Digital. “By the time symptoms appear, the disease may already have reached an advanced stage.”

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 anything glaring.” (Getty Images)

The symptoms are “particularly concerning” for those 45 or older who have at least one first-degree relative with colon cancer or Other malignant gastrointestinal tumorsAdded 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, and those with active inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.

Early detection is key

The overall chance that a person with average risk will develop colorectal cancer over their lifetime is between 4% to 5%, according to Friedman.

He said: “It has been shown that colonoscopy at the age of 45 and over, at intervals ranging between five and ten years, leads to early detection of benign tumors that have the potential to become malignant, and allows their removal as an effective means of reducing the risk of becoming a malignant tumor.”

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Unfortunately, Parnell noted, “compliance with screening in the United States remains below national goals, and gaps are even wider in rural, low-income, and minority communities.”

To help fill these gaps, she called for increased access to “accurate, non-invasive information.” Screening techniques“, in addition to efforts to increase public awareness.

“Colonoscopy at the age of 45 and over, at intervals of five to ten years, has been shown to lead to early detection of polyps that have the potential to become malignant, and allows their removal as an effective means of reducing the risk of malignant transformation,” one expert said. (Istock)

“Most people don’t like to talk about bowel habits, but paying attention to the changes could save your life,” Parnell said. “Screening gives us the opportunity to detect problems early – often before you feel sick – and this can make a big difference.”

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Fox News Digital previously reached out to a representative for Van Der Beek for comment.