James Van Der Beek Gives Update on Cancer Battle: ‘I Went Into Shock’

James Van Der Beek is opening up about his cancer battle. The Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues star, 47, revealed on Nov. 3 that he was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer, telling PEOPLE in a new interview that the diagnosis was a “shock” but he is “very cautiously optimistic.”

“I’m very cautiously optimistic. I’m in a place of healing, my energy levels are great,” he told the outlet. “When I’ve been out of the woods completely for what feels like a responsible amount of time, I’ll circle back and let you know. I have a lot to live for.”

Van Der Beek, who opened up about his diagnosis in the hopes of raising awareness about colorectal cancer, said he had no family history of cancer and took care of his body, and therefore didn’t suspect that he would face a cancer diagnosis at his age. The actor admitted that he’d “always associated cancer with age and with unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles. But I was in amazing cardiovascular shape. I tried to eat healthy — or as far as I knew it at the time.”

However, in the summer of 2023, Van Der Beek sought medical help after he noticed changes in his bowel movements. Although he initially believed his diet was to blame, he said that when he cut out coffee and coffee creamer from his diet, “it didn’t improve, I thought, ‘All right, I better get this checked out.’”

The two-time MTV Movie Award winner, who shares six children with his wife Kimberly, went in for a colonoscopy, and while he “felt really good coming out of anesthesia, that I’d finally done it,” his gastroenterologist told him he had cancer. Van Der Beek said he “went into shock” when he learned of the diagnosis, one that is on the rise healthy adults under 55. According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 5 new colorectal cancer diagnoses are among people under the age of 55, which is up from 1 in 10 in 1995.

Van Der Beek did not disclose what treatment he is undergoing for the disease, but he said he immediately dove into treatments. He told PEOPLE, “If you’ve heard about it, I’ve probably touched on it,” adding that his health journey “has been a crash course in the mastery of mind, body, and spirit. I thought, ‘This is either going to take me out of the body, or it’s going to teach me how to truly live in it.’”

The actor, who didn’t talk about stages of recovery or remission but said he is feeling good, said he decided to open up about his diagnosis because he’s “been dealing with this pretty much in secret for a while, and in the past, I’ve found it helpful and cathartic to share things publicly. And I’ve found a lot of support that way. But more than that, I really wanted to raise awareness.”