James Van Der Beek stunned fans with an emotional video message at the “Dawson’s Creek” reunion earlier this week, sparking an outpouring of love and concern.

The 48-year-old actor said he was “gutted” to miss the nostalgic night at New York City’s Richard Rodgers Theatre after being sidelined by two stomach viruses amid his ongoing fight with colorectal cancer.

“Despite every effort … I won’t get to be there,” Van Der Beek wrote on social media. “I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”

The “Varsity Blues” heartthrob went public with his diagnosis in November, joining a growing wave of Americans younger than 50 caught in an alarming rise of colorectal cancer cases.

“I was healthy,” Van Der Beek told Healthline in August. “I was doing the cold plunge. I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had Stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea.”

But, like many patients, the actor ignored an early red flag: a change in his bowel movements.

“I thought maybe I needed to stop drinking coffee,” he told People last year. “Or maybe not put cream in the coffee. But when I cut that out and it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out.’”

A colonoscopy confirmed he had colorectal cancer — now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 and the second deadliest for women in that age group.

Symptoms of colorectal cancer

Early on, the disease often shows subtle signs like changes in bathroom habits, including constipation, diarrhea that won’t quit or a feeling that your bowels never fully empty.

Other red flags include shifts in stool shape or consistency — like pencil-thin poop — which can signal a tumor in the colon.

Blood in the stool is another symptom, though it can also be a sign of less serious issues like hemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome. Still, doctors say it’s not something to brush off.

That kind of internal bleeding can also lead to anemia, a condition caused by a lack of healthy red blood cells.

Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, cold hands and feet, hair loss, brittle nails, brain fog, shortness of breath, headaches and insomnia.

Persistent stomach pain can be another sneaky sign. While it might be easy to dismiss as menstrual cramps or indigestion, doctors say it’s important to consult a professional if the pain is unusual or doesn’t go away.

Unexplained weight loss is also a symptom that often slips under the radar, driven by hormones released by colorectal tumors that can severely suppress the appetite.

One study found that 15% of younger patients experienced appetite loss four to six months before their diagnosis.

“This is harder than I thought it would be,” Van Der Beek told Healthline.

Spreading the word

Since going public with his diagnosis, the actor has been using his platform to raise awareness about the surge in colorectal cancer among younger adults in recent years.

In 2019, a staggering 20% of cases were diagnosed in people younger than 55, nearly double the rate in 1995.

Even more alarming: Younger patients are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages, when the disease is harder to treat and survival odds drop.

“I really want to impress upon people that you don’t need symptoms to get screened,” Van Der Beek said. “If you are 45 or older or have a family history, talk to your doctor about your screening options.”

In 2025 alone, the American Cancer Society estimates that 154,270 people in the US will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and 52,900 will die from the disease.