Dawsons Creek Star James Van Der Beek Announces Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis, But Says Theres Reason For Optimism [Video]

James Van Der Beek, who got his start on The WB drama Dawson’s Creek, has announced he’s been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

The actor revealed his diagnosis in a new interview with People. “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,” he said.

But he appears to be confident about his treatment, adding, “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”

Van Der Beek announced in a social media post later on that he was forced to break the news earlier than anticipated because he learned a tabloid was going to run the news.

“Each year, approximately 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.

He continued, “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 …