Actor James Van Der Beek has revealed he is suffering from colorectal cancer, as experts say there has been a rise in cases.

Van Der Beek said People Magazine that he continued to work while battling cancer.

“I have colorectal cancer. I faced this diagnosis privately and took steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” the 47-year-old actor told People. “There are reasons to be optimistic, and I feel good.

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The actor said he hadn’t planned to reveal his diagnosis so soon. He apologized to his family who he said would find out about it through the media before hearing it directly.

“Every year, about 2 billion people around the world receive this diagnosis. And I’m one of them. There’s no guide on how to announce these things, but I planned to talk at length about it with People magazine soon. …to raise awareness and tell my story on my own terms But that plan had to be changed early this morning when I was informed that a tabloid was going to publish the news,” he wrote.

Van Der Beek rose to fame in 1998 as the star of the television series “Dawson’s Creek” and the film “Varsity Blues.”

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the United States.

According to experts, early detection is key to surviving colorectal cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, people diagnosed with colon cancer before it spreads to other parts of the body have a five-year survival rate of 91 percent. However, when the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs or distant lymph nodes, the survival rate drops to 13%.

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Currently, health officials recommend that adults over age 45 at average risk for colorectal cancer provide a stool sample every 1 to 3 years or have a colonoscopy every ten years. The American Cancer Society, however, notes that more than 40% of Americans over 45 are not up to date on screening.