American actor James Van Der Beek, 47, has announced that he has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
In an interview with US publication People Magazine, the Dawson Creek star said: “I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.”
The actor also acknowledged his diagnosis on an Instagram post to his 1.5 million followers, where he apologised to his loved ones who had learned about his cancer through the press.
But what is colorectal cancer? And what symptoms should we all look out for?
What is colorectal cancer?
“Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the large bowel (colon) and the back passage (rectum),” explains Amy Hirst, health information manager at Cancer Research UK. “It is also known as bowel cancer.”
Most bowel cancers develop from polyps.
“Polyps are non-cancerous growths that might develop into cancer,” explains Sarah Sweenie, health information manager at Bowel Cancer UK. “If polyps are found early enough, they can be removed.
“When polyps develop, they can cause symptoms including blood in your poo or a pain in your tummy.”
What are some common misconceptions about it?
Many people think that bowel cancer only affects older people, but this is not the case.
“More than nine out of 10 new cases (94 per cent) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50,” notes Sweenie. “But bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age.
“More than 2,600 new cases are diagnosed in people under the age of 50 every year.”
Another common misconception is that bowel cancer is an inherited disease.
“Most bowel cancer cases are not passed down through the family,” states Sweenie. “Inherited disease only makes up around five-10 per cent of all bowel cancer cases.”
What causes it?
“We don’t know what causes most bowel cancers but we know that some factors increase your risk of getting the disease,” says Sweenie. “Some of these things you can’t do anything about, like your age and genetics.”
However, healthy lifestyle choices could make a difference.
“Some scientists say around half of all bowel cancers are preventable and you can make changes to your lifestyle to lower your risk of getting the disease,” explains Sweenie.
“This includes eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fibre and avoiding processed meat, increasing your physical activity, and getting and keeping yourself at a healthy weight.”
Other risk factors include a history of non-cancerous growths (polyps) in your bowel, a strong family history of bowel cancer, longstanding inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis and Type 2 diabetes, adds Sweenie.
What are the common symptoms?
“Common symptoms include bleeding from your bottom, blood in your poo, a change in your pooing habits, unexplained weight loss, unexplained tiredness and/or a pain or lump in your tummy,” highlights Sweenie.
Having these symptoms doesn’t always mean you have bowel cancer, but it’s still important to find out what’s causing them.
“Knowing the symptoms of bowel cancer and reporting them to your GP is important to help catch it early,” emphasises Sweenie. “The earlier bowel cancer is caught, the more treatable and curable it is.”
How can you get diagnosed?
Bowel cancer can be diagnosed in several ways.
“Some people notice symptoms such as blood in their poo or a change to their pooing habits, and report it to the GP, and might be given an at-home test,” explains Sweenie. “Others may be referred to hospitals for tests after completing a screening test that they have received in the post as part of the bowel cancer screening programme.
“As part of this programme, all adults within the screening age (currently different, depending on where you live in the UK) are sent an easy-to-use at-home test which they can use in the privacy of their own home.
“These results are sent off to a lab, which tests your poo for blood.”
How is it treated?
“Treatment for bowel cancer can include chemotherapy, surgery, targeted cancer drugs, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy,” says Hirst.
