Think you’re too young for colon cancer? Think again!
He was a teenage heart throb and pop icon as a young star on “Dawson’s Creek.” Now James Van Der Beek is once again an icon for people his age. The 47 year old actor announced he has colorectal cancer. And he is not alone. Typically thought of as a disease for older patients, Van Der Beek is part of a growing number of people diagnosed with colon cancer before the age of 55.
According to the National Cancer Institute, colorectal cancer is rising in adults younger than 55. “One in 5 new cases of colorectal cancer in the United States is occurring in young people,” says Dr. Steven Lee-Kong, Chief of Colorectal Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. “This is about twice the rate in 1995 so we’re really concerned and we’re trying to understand why.”
In response to the increase, cancer screening guidelines recommend that people at average risk start getting screened at age 45. If you have a family history or other risk factors, you should get screened even younger.
Early research suggests the cause could be environmental factors. “These factors can include a number of different things from our diets and our physical activity levels to our weight and alcohol consumption,” says Dr. Lee-Kong. One thing is for sure, he says, if something doesn’t seem right, like any of the following, get checked out.
- Persistent change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool.
- Blood in your stool.
- Persistent abdominal pain including cramps, gas or pain.
- Drastic weight loss.
In a statement posted to his Instagram page yesterday, Van Der Beek wrote that he’s been “getting treatment” and dialing in his overall health “with greater focus than ever before.”
Hackensack Meridian Health physicians are available for interviews about the growing trend of younger patients being diagnosed with colorectal cancers.
Media Contacts:
Jessica.Nussman@hmhn.org Mary.McGeever@hmhn.org
