Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center Director Dr. Zuri Murrell Praises ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Star James Van Der Beek For His ‘Openness’ As ‘Early Detection Saves Lives’

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A post shared by Dr. Zuri Murrell (@drzurimurrell)

Van Der Beek’s decision to go public with his diagnosis has been commended by Dr. Murrell, who stands firm on his message that “you shouldn’t die from embarrassment” after a colon cancer diagnosis.

Colon cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer, largely due to effective screening methods. However, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nearly one-third of adults are not getting screened as recommended. Discomfort with discussing bowel habits and fear or anxiety about procedures like colonoscopies often discourage people from seeking screening or addressing potential symptoms.

However, thanks to people like Van Der Beek, who aren’t shy when it comes to discussing the ins and outs of such a diagnosis, more people are learning about the importance of cancer screenings.

The video of Van Der Beek, shared by Dr. Murrell on Instagram this week, was originally uploaded by the beloved actor himself on his 48th birthday on March 8. The post is also currently pinned to the top of Van Der Beek’s Instagram profile.

Van Der Beek’s birthday post, which was captioned “What Cancer Taught Me” offered his powerful message, one that’s incredibly relatable to the cancer community.

The Connecticut native, donning a newsboy hat and grey sweater, says in the video, “Today’s my birthday. And it has been the hardest year of my life.”

“When I was younger, I used to define myself as an actor, which was never really all that fulfilling. And then I became a husband and that was much better. And then I became a father, and that was the ultimate. I could define myself then as a loving, capable, strong, supportive husband, father, provider … and for a long time, that felt like a really good definition.”

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He continued, “And then this year, I had to look my own mortality in the eye. I had to come nose to nose with death. And all of those definitions I cared so much about were stripped of me.”

“I was away for treatment, so I could no longer be a husband. I could no longer be a father and pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them. I could not be a provider because I wasn’t working.”

RELATED: Colon Cancer Screening Options And Genetics: Myth Busting With Dr. Heather Yeo

Van Der Beek admitted he was faced with the question of, “If I am a too-skinny, weak guy alone in an apartment with cancer, what am I? And I meditated and the answer came through: I am worthy of God’s love. Simply because I exist.”

“And if I’m worthy of God’s love, shouldn’t I also be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you.”

RELATED: ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Star James Van Der Beek Praises Dad For His ‘Life-Saving’ & ‘Life-Affirming’ Support Through Colorectal Cancer

Understanding Colon Cancer & Van Der Beek’s Diagnosis

James Van Der Beek, who is also known for staring in films like “Varsity Blues” and “The Rules of Attraction,” learned he had colorectal cancer last year after getting a colonoscopy done. He told People in his tell-all interview that his bowel issues led him to get checked.

“I thought maybe I needed to stop coffee. 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,'” he said.

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A post shared by James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames)

Before Van Der Beek’s interview was published, the beloved actor wrote the following alongside a November 3rd Instagram post, “‘It is cancer…’ Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them. There’s no playbook for how announce these things, but I’d planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon… to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms. But that plan had to be altered early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news.

“I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialing in my overall health with greater focus than ever before. I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.

“Apologies to all the people in my life who I’d planned on telling myself. Nothing about this process has occurred on my preferred timeline… But we roll with it, taking each surprise as a signpost, pointing us toward a greater destiny than we would have discovered without divine intervention,” he continued. “Please know that my family and I deeply appreciate all the love and support.”

Colorectal cancer happens when polyps are not removed and become cancerous. It can take up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become cancerous, according to SurvivorNet experts.

“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Heather Yeo, a surgical oncologist who specializes in colorectal cancers at Weill Cornell Medicine, told SurvivorNet.

“Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Dr. Yeo added.

Dr. Murrell previously explained the colonoscopy procedure to SurvivorNet.

“When we see a polyp, we actually physically take the polyp out through the colonoscope,” he explained. “What does that mean? That means we basically put a wire through with a little bit of a flange at the end, and we pull the polyp out. Now, note there is no pain with that. Inside the colon, there are no pain fibers. So, there’s no pain.”

Dr. Zuri Murrell On Lowering Your Colon Cancer Risk

The advantage of a colonoscopy is that your doctor can remove any polyps found during the test. Many colon cancers can be caught on colonoscopy before they develop or when the polyps are small enough to be removed without surgery.

Looking for Polyps During Colonoscopy

The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends guidelines that state colon cancer screenings should begin at 45 years old. This is in response to the increase we see in colon cancer diagnoses in younger adults.

However, many insurance companies still do not cover the cost of screenings for those under 50. In the past, the disease had predominantly been found in adults 50 years or older, but for those predisposed to getting it at a younger age, these new guidelines could help catch it earlier.

Dr. Zurrell previously told SurvivorNet, “Always my goal, and I think the goal of every colorectal surgeon, is to basically end the disease. And this disease can be ended in two ways.

“Number one, diet. The area in the world with the highest rate of colorectal cancer is right here in our great country of America and the question is ‘Why is this?’ Well, in this country, we eat a lot of diets that are high in meat, high in red meat, high in processed foods, and a very high rate of obesity. In other countries, in Africa and India, while they do have a lot of health problems there, one thing they don’t have a lot of is colorectal cancer, so we really do know how diet plays such an important part in this disease.”

He added, “The second way of preventing this is a colonoscopy.”

Understanding Treatment Options

Although, Van Der Beek has chosen to keep the details of his colon cancer journey and treatment process private, it’s important to understand that your doctor has many ways to treat colon cancer, depending on what stage the cancer is, including:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy

Surgery

Surgery is the main treatment for most early-stage colon cancers, according to the doctors SurvivorNet spoke with. The surgeon will remove the part of the colon or rectum where there is cancer, along with a small area of healthy tissue around it. Taking out as much of the cancer as possible is important for improving your outcome.

The surgery may be performed through small incisions (laparoscopy), or through a larger incision. Some people may need to wear a special bag (ostomy) to collect wastes after surgery.

Deciding When to Operate on Colon Cancer

Radiation Therapy

This treatment aims high-energy x-rays at the cancer to destroy the abnormal cells. The radiation can come from a machine outside your body, or be placed directly inside your body. Sometimes people get radiation before surgery, to shrink the tumor and make it easier for the surgeon to remove. This is called neoadjuvant radiation.

Chemotherapy

This treatment uses strong medicine to stop cancer cells from dividing, no matter where they are in your body. You may get a combination of chemotherapy drugs as your first treatment. Chemotherapy has been very well studied for colorectal cancer, and it is known to improve survival.

The most common therapy is a combination of chemo drugs called FOLFOX:

• FOL = leucovorin calcium (folinic acid)
• F = fluorouracil
• OX = oxaliplatin

Your doctor may add medications like irinotecan (FOLFIRI) or cetuximab, depending on how well your tumor shrinks with treatment and other specifics about your particular cancer. For FOLFOX, the medications are given through the vein and require regular doctor visits.

To determine exactly which chemotherapy regimen you get, your doctor will consider your age and how well you might tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy. Gene mutations (for example, BRAF and KRAS) and the location of the primary colon tumor also factor into the decision.

You can also get chemotherapy before colon cancer surgery, which is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Getting chemo first helps to shrink the tumor, which can make both the surgery and recovery easier, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. Chemo is also a treatment for cancer that returns after therapy.

Targeted Therapy

This treatment targets substances like proteins or genes that the cancer needs to grow. This makes targeted therapy more precise than chemotherapy, and less likely to damage healthy cells. One example of targeted therapy is bevacizumab (Avastin), which stops the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors. Another group of targeted therapies are called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, which block the cancer from growing.

Immunotherapy

This treatment makes your own immune system a more efficient cancer fighter. A group of drugs called checkpoint inhibitors, which includes pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo), work by preventing cancer cells from hiding from your immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors may extend the amount of time before the cancer spreads.

Dr. Paul Oberstein, on which treatments doctors use to turn stage 4 colon cancer into a chronic but manageable disease

What Increases Your Risk for Developing Colon Cancer?

For some people, certain risk factors can influence their risk of getting colon cancer. They include the following:

• Are older. About 90% of cases are in people aged 50 or older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Yet it is possible to get this cancer earlier in life.
• Have inflammatory bowel disease.  Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can, over time, cause cells in your intestines to turn cancerous.
• Have a family history of this cancer. Just under one-third of people who get colon cancer have family members with the disease.
• Have a gene mutation. About 5% of colorectal cancers are caused by an inherited genetic mutation that causes syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).
• Don’t exercise very often. Stying active can lower your risk.
• Eat a diet that’s high in meat. Regularly eating red meats like burgers and steaks, and processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon might put you at higher risk.  Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead might lower your risk.
• You are overweight or obese. Having too much weight increases your risk of both getting colon cancer and dying from it.
• Drink a lot of alcohol.  Limiting alcohol to one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men could help lower your risk.
• Use tobacco. Long-term smokers are more likely to get this cancer than nonsmokers.

Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

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