INDIANAPOLIS – A health campaign led by retired race car driver John Andretti has encouraged thousands of people to check for colon cancer.
Andretti underwent his second surgery Tuesday after being diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year. He then launched “Check it 4 Andretti.”
Doctors at St. Vincent Hospital said they have seen an uptick in requests for colonoscopies. In recent months, doctors have performed nearly 1,000 procedures each month.
"If we find polyps before they grow big enough to become cancer, and we remove them, we decrease the chance of colon cancer at least 90 percent,” said Dr. Mazen Alsatie. “That’s the importance of a screening colonoscopy.”
Alsatie also said the procedure is proactive and they remove polyps as they screen.
Although doctors said the tools used may look a little intimidating, patients are put asleep and don’t feel anything.
Those with a family history of colon cancer or 50 and older are recommended to have a colonoscopy done.
You can call St. Vincent for an appointment at (317) 338-2273.
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