"I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it," James Van Der Beek said.

He didn’t beat around the bush. “It is cancer,” James Van Der Beek shared with his 1.5 million Instagram followers on 4. “Each year, approximately 2 [million] people around the world receive this diagnosis.

The actor opens up to PEOPLE about finding out he has colorectal cancer — and what's next for him — in an exclusive interview.

James Van Der Beek is speaking out about how he "went into shock" after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

James Van Der Beek was diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year, he shared, and has been dealing with it privately until now. He wants to raise awareness.

James Van Der Beek was sure that he was on top of his health — but then he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. After revealing his diagnosis earlier this week, the actor has shared additional details about his medical journey in hopes of raising awareness about colorectal cancer.

James Van Der Beek has shared the symptoms he missed before being diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer. The 47-year-old father of six shot to fame playing the lead role as Dawson Leery in teen drama Dawson’s Creek, which ran between 1998 and 2003.

James Van Der Beek is best known for his role as the titular character in the popular WB series Dawson’s Creek. Since then, the teen heartthrob, now 47, has married and welcomed a slew of children. And recently,