Hidden signs of colorectal cancer – and how they differ in younger patients, as ’90s heartthrob James Van Der Beek is diagnosed at just 47

Dawson’s Creek heartthrob last night opened up about his shock after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 47.

The actor, who shares six children with his wife Kimberly, said he has been “dealing with this diagnosis privately” and thanks his family’s support.

Despite the shock, Mr. Van Der Beek added that he felt there was “reason for optimism, and I feel good.”

Young people with colorectal cancer appear to have slightly different symptoms than typical patients with the disease, according to a new study.

The study also found that patients under 50 are more likely to be diagnosed later if the cancer has spread, perhaps because they ignore the health changes.

Doctors told DailyMail.com that young people who experience any of the following symptoms should be checked immediately and not wait.

The new study looked at 5,000 people in Taiwan of different ages with colorectal cancer, also called colon or bowel cancer. Six in ten over-50s experienced rectal bleeding before the disease was diagnosed, compared to less than half of over-50s.

And almost 60 percent of young people with the disease also experienced changes in their toilet habits leading up to or after a diagnosis, compared to 48 percent of older patients.

Actor James Van Der Beek announced on social media on Sunday afternoon that he has been diagnosed with cancer

The actor, 47, revealed that he has been “dealing with this diagnosis privately and taking steps to resolve it with the support” of his incredible family (seen with his wife and six children)

Dr. Cedrek McFadden, an oncologist in South Carolina who was not involved in the study, said the different symptoms between old and young patients were consistent with what he had seen in his patients.

“It certainly makes sense,” he told DailyMail.com, “rectal bleeding had the strongest association, especially in the early stages.”

‘Rectal bleeding is usually an earlier sign of cancer, while abdominal pain is a later sign.

‘Sometimes younger patients have many complaints of hemorrhoids, and one of the complaints of hemorrhoids is bleeding.

‘It is common for younger patients to attribute bleeding to haemorrhoids and never see a doctor, but this can cause a potential cancer to grow and be somewhat advanced by the time the diagnosis is finally made.

“That’s why I often tell patients that bleeding, while common, is not normal — and tell them to get checked out by a doctor.”

The study was led by Taiwan’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital network, which serves more than 280,000 patients annually.

In the article, scientists analyzed hospital database data on symptoms reported by patients diagnosed with colon cancer between January 2008 and December 2019.

Patients over the age of 70 were excluded from the analysis because, the researchers said, they were at greater risk of dying from the disease.

Taiwan is also recording a spike in early-onset colon cancers, meaning Western diets can’t be entirely to blame.

Other theories suggested the increase could be related to food additives such as emulsifiers, which are often used in low-fat products such as low-fat yogurt to improve texture.

And some scientists have also suggested it could be linked to microplastics or high-fructose corn syrup, a sugar alternative often used in soft drinks.

In the study, doctors analyzed data from 5,704 colon cancer patients, including 1,204 who were younger than 50 years old.

It was found that rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habits and abdominal pain were more likely to be associated with younger patients.

In older patients, rectal bleeding and changes in bowel habits were also reported as symptoms, but less frequently than in young adults.

The third most common symptom for the group was a shift in the frequency of going to the toilet.

The above graph shows the increase in colorectal cancer in Americans under the age of 50 over the past twenty years

The paper also noted an increase in bowel cancer among young people, saying cases among those in their 50s have risen by three percent per year since 2009.

The doctors did not provide a reason why these three symptoms were most common in early-onset cases, but they did note that these patients tended to be diagnosed at a later time, when the disease was more advanced.

The study found that 62.4 percent of young people were diagnosed with their cancer at stage four or three, compared to 50.3 percent of older adults.

The rising trend of colon cancer cases in Taiwan mirrors the situation in the US, where the incidence of the disease among people under 50 years of age has increased by 50 percent over the past three decades.

According to Cancer Research UK, cancer rates among Britons aged 25 to 50 have increased by 24 percent over the past thirty years.

Data shows that rates of bowel cancer specifically among 25-49 year old Britons have risen by 22 percent since the early 1990s.

The US now has the sixth highest rate of early-onset colon cancer worldwide.