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James Van Der Beek, who shared his diagnosis of stage three colon cancer last week said he was “shocked” to learn of his condition, finding it the trickiest thing he ever faced. The Dawson’s Creek star said he began his treatment for this cancer – which spreads aggressively. Colon cancer is the third most common non-skin cancer in both men and women and the second leading cause of cancer death in the US.
“I found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly,” said Van Der Beek adding he wanted to raise awareness about this cancer, in an interview with People magazine.
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Sharing his first symptoms, the 47-year-old actor said like many colon cancer patients he noticed changes to his bowel movements last year, which he initially thought were caused by drinking coffee, but the irregularities persisted. “When I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out,’” he said. James later underwent a colonoscopy, which confirmed the cancer.
According to experts, most symptoms of colorectal cancer begin as growths known as polyps in the colon or the rectum and can spread into the walls of those areas over time. Rates of colon cancer in people under 55 years of age like Van Der Beek have been increasing by 1-2 per cent every year since the mid-1990s, the American Cancer Society says. “The trickiest thing is there are so many unknowns with cancer,” Van Der Beek said.
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Doctors say you may not experience colon cancer symptoms at all, especially in the early stages. However, when you do, they include:
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Blood in stool
- Changes in stool colour
- Changes in stool shape
- Bleeding from the rectum
- Weight loss
- Stomachache
- Excessive fatigue and tiredness
- The feeling that your bowel will not completely empty
According to experts, an early diagnosis of colon cancer gives you the best chance of curing it. Since it has no symptoms usually during the early stages, colon cancer is often caught during routine screenings like colonoscopy.
According to the US Preventive Service Task Force, the recommended age for starting colon cancer screening is 45 years. Apart from a physical exam, which includes a physical and rectal exam to determine lumps or polyps present in your colon area, a variety of other tests are recommended at different yearly intervals for the screening.
What causes colon cancer?
Doctors say even though the exact cause of this dreaded disease is still unknown, researchers have identified several factors that may increase your risk, a few of which include:
- Genetic mutations
- Being over 50 years of age
- A previous history of colon polyps
- A previous history of bowel disease
- Having conditions like inflammatory bowel disease
- Being of African or Ashkenazi Jewish descent