James Van Der Beek, suffering from colorectal cancer: why this disease is increasingly affecting young people

“It’s cancer… Every year, around 2 billion people around the world are diagnosed with this. And I’m one of them.” James Van Der Beek, famous Dawson, from the eponymous series in the 90s publicly revealed on November 3 that he had colorectal cancer.

“I feel strong and well cared for”

This is in an interview given to the magazine Peopleas well as on his Instagram account, that the 47-year-old actor revealed the sad diagnosis. An unvarnished admission made”to raise awareness and tell my story in my own words”while a tabloid planned to reveal his illness.

The actor, who shares six children with his wife, Kimberly, gave news of his condition. At this stage, it is difficult to know more, the man faced this diagnosis “privately” and said he continued to work.

He added that he “was taking steps to resolve this issue with the support of my incredible family.” but that he felt that there was “reasons to be optimistic.” “I feel good and strong” he concluded, announcing that he would keep his fans informed of his progress.

Cancer on the rise among those under 50

James Van Der Beek is far from being the only forty-year-old facing colorectal cancer. According to the latest studies on the subject, this type of cancer has increased by 50% in this age group over the last three decades in Western countries.

And although the vast majority of bowel cancers still affect people over the age of 50, the disease has declined or remained stable among older people, while diagnoses have increased among younger people.

Causes still to be determined

How can we explain such a development? In the Wall Street Journal January 11, 2024Dr. Kimmie Ng of the Dana-Farber Institute already warned: “If we don’t understand what this is like now, there will be another entire generation that will have to deal with this“.

For the moment, the causes explaining the increase in cases of colorectal cancers are not clear. “Of course, there are known risk factors, such as a diet rich in fat, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, consumption of cold meats or even genetic causes, but this cannot explain everything.” noted Dr. Lucas Spindler, gastroenterologist, in a previous Doctissimo article on the subject. “But additional studies are necessary to really understand the mechanisms behind this increase in the incidence of cancer.

Some experts, however, believe that there could be an explanation to be found in ultra-processed foods. Addressing MailOnline Earlier this year, Dr Joe O’Sullivan, an oncologist and professor at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “Rising cancer rates among young people must be due to something we are consuming. And ultra-processed foods are the biggest lifestyle change in the last 40 years.”

A convincing argument based on the fact that certain ingredients contained in these foods can damage the intestinal microbiome… but which remains to be confirmed.

What are the symptoms to spot, even young people?

As a reminder, here are the main symptoms linked to colorectal cancer, which mainly affects men and women, in an almost equivalent ratio, around the age of 60 to 70.

We find:

• Blood in the stools;
• Abdominal pain;
• Unintentional weight loss;
• A change in intestinal transit;
• Anemia, shortness of breath and fatiguewhich can also be warning signs.

These symptoms are the same in younger patients. However, studies have shown that patients younger than 50 are more likely to be diagnosed later, when the cancer has spread, perhaps because they are unaware of these health changes.

A recent study in Taiwan of 5,000 people of different ages with the disease, for example, found that six out of ten people under the age of 50 suffered from rectal bleeding before being diagnosed with the disease, compared to fewer of half of people over 50… but they did not consult, thinking of hemorrhoids.

Therefore the watchword at any age remains the same: if you present this type of symptoms persistently, it is advisable to consult your doctor quickly.