James Van Der Beek's colorectal cancer revelation highlights growing early diagnosis trend among young people
MIAMI — "Dawson's Creek" star James Van Der Beek stunned fans when he revealed two weeks ago that he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at just 47 years old. And, statistics show more people under 50 are getting the diagnosis, including one woman who was diagnosed at an even younger age.
Naike Vorbe had just given birth to her second child around 2014 when stomach pains persisted. She had some stomach pain during the pregnancy, but she thought that was just the baby.
"I had tremendous pain as if I was having a second baby," Vorbe said. "So it was even worse than the pregnancy."
She felt a lump on her stomach and the then-31-year-old's doctor in Haiti made a shocking discovery.
"As soon as he felt my abdomen he was like, 'Who in your family has cancer?'" Vorbe said.
Vorbe flew to Miami for treatment at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System. She found out she was in the third stage of colorectal cancer. She didn't think she was old enough to go through all this.
"When I heard the stage, I thought I was gone," Vorbe said. "I thought I was gonna die and that was it."
She survived after several surgeries and chemotherapy, and she's becoming part of a growing trend highlighted by Van Der Beek's revelation that he's also fighting the disease.
Gastrointestinal medical oncologist Augustin Pimentel, who does clinical research for Sylvester, told CBS News Miami the number of people being diagnosed under 55 has only increased.
"We're seeing about double the rates," Pimentel said. "This was to be a disease for people in their 70s [and] 80s — not anymore."
"Researchers have linked that to the epidemics of obesity, poor lifestyle habits [and] high intakes of processed meats," he added.
Pimentel said getting screened earlier can keep it from spreading, and that gives you a much higher chance of surviving. He showed CBS News Miami screenings of a patient who had the cancer spread from the colon to the liver, just like Vorbe.
"We do want to treat them within two weeks," Pimentel said. "Sometimes, we're able to get to them in a few days after."
As for Vorbe, that scare 10 years ago is why she does her check-ins now.
"I didn't look sick," she said. "You'd think that somebody who has cancer looks sick. I didn't. I thought I was healthy and I took that for granted."
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is now the second-leading cause of death for any kind of cancer for men and women combined. They also found that the rate of people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer under 55 has been increasing by one to two percent every year since the 1990s.
Pimentel said most people should be screened for colorectal cancer at age 45, but said you should start earlier if you have a higher risk or if someone in your family already has it.
There are resources at hospitals across South Florida to help you navigate screenings:
Miami-Dade County resources
University of Miami Health Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health