James Van Der Beek Diagnosed With Colorectal Cancer

James Van Der Beek has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

The former "Dawson's Creek" star, who is 47, shared his diagnosis in a statement Nov. 3.

“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. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good."

Colorectal cancer typically begins as small growths, called polyps, in the colon or in the rectum, per the American Cancer Society. Colon and rectal cancer tend to be grouped together because they share similar symptoms.

James Van Der Beek has been married to Kimberly Van Der Beek since 2010. They share six kids: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

On Nov. 3, Kimberly Van Der Beek tagged her husband on her Instagram story, sharing a photo of two cardinals and a quote about romance.

For Halloween, James Van Der Beek posted a series of photos from Texas of their family fully decked out in costume for the holiday.

"I made all my own costumes growing up. Didn’t really have a choice. But I loved it. Should probably have been the first warning sign to my parents that I would end up an actor," he captioned the Nov. 1 post.

James Van Der Beek wrote that his daughter was "devastated" when she realized her angel costume wouldn't arrive on time for trick-or-treating, so she took after her dad and made her own halo.

"After acknowledging the tears, she was given the project of making her own halo, which she worked on for HOURS — wrapping yellow yarn around some garden wire. Focused in a way might not have believed possible. And the look of pride on her face upon seeing the final project in the mirror was, for me… my favorite moment of Halloween," he wrote of his daughter.

Becca Wood

Becca Wood is a news and trending reporter for TODAY Digital based in New York City. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.