Hitching a lift A former RAF Hawk, suspended from a Chinook helicopter, is moved from
MoD Boscombe Down, Wilts, to its new home at the Aviation Collection at Old Sarum airfield.
Fittingly, the first flight of the prototype Hawk XX154 was 45 years ago next Wednesday.SAC CHARLOTTE HOPKINS/RAFNews
Blood test raises
hope for early
detection of
ovarian cancer
By Sarah Knapton Science editor
A BLOOD test that can detect ovarian
cancer two years earlier than current
methods could be used to screen
women annually, scientists hope.
Researchers from Queen’s Univer-
sity Belfast have found that measuring
four proteins together can pick up can-
cer early, at a stage when nine in 10
women will survive the disease.
Ovarian cancer is one of the deadli-
est because symptoms are vague or
absent until the later stages, when the
chance of surviving for five years is just
22 per cent.
Current blood tests that look for ele-
vated levels of a protein called CA
have drawbacks because the protein is
also elevated in pregnancy and during
menstruation.
Researchers analysed blood samples
from 80 women over a seven-year pe-
riod and developed an algorithm that
flags abnormal levels of proteins.
Dr Bobby Graham, who led the
study, said it could eventually be used
to screen women annually.
“We are extremely excited about
these results, however, they are at an
early stage,” he said. “This needs to be
tested in separate larger cohorts, which
we are currently doing.”
The test detects epithelial ovarian
cancer (EOC), the most common type
of ovarian cancer. In 2016, 4227 deaths
were reported as a result of EOC.
If diagnosed at stage one of the dis-
ease, a woman has a 90 per cent chance
of five-year survival, compared with
22 per cent if diagnosed at a stage three
or four.
Dr Rachel Shaw, research informa-
tion manager at Cancer Research UK,
said: “Around half of ovarian cancer
cases are picked up at a late stage, when
treatment is less likely to be successful.
So, developing simple tests like these
that could help detect the disease
sooner is essential.
“At Cancer Research UK, we’reworking hard to find new ways to
detect cancer early and improve the
tests already available. It’s really excit-
ing to see these encouraging results for
this type of ovarian cancer.”
The research was carried out in part-
nership with the University of New
South Wales Australia, the University
of Milan, Manchester University and
University College London and pub-
lished in the journal Nature.
Annwen Jones, chief executive of
Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “These
are very promising early results, but
the number of women involved is still
too small. Further research would be
needed to see if this could be the new,
safe and effective diagnostic test that
women deserve.”Racist sacking claim by fraud detector
A fraud investigator claims he was
sacked by a scandal-hit council because
he is white and subjects of his probes
were Asian.
Mark Edmunds, 54, is suing for
£529,000 in a race and sex
discrimination case after he claimed to
have been intimidated over his
investigations into a department staffed
mostly by ethnic Bengalis.
Mr Edmunds worked in fraud
investigation for the London borough
of Tower Hamlets and says he was
made redundant from his
£63,000-a-year job last year even
though the work was still needed.
Twelve senior Asian employees were
dismissed as a result of investigations
by Mr Edmunds, who claims he was
threatened and harassed and had
received a threatening phone call as
well as being followed by a car. Tower
Hamlets removed Mr Edmunds from
the case. The investigator claims that
the council failed “to investigate the
false and defamatory allegation” of
racism against him because of the
colour of his skin.
Counsel for Tower Hamlets
challenged the accuracy of his
allegations and interpretation of events.
The hearing continues.Co-founder of ghd empire killed himself
A millionaire businessman who
co-founded the ghd hair-care empire
killed himself after suffering from
anxiety, an inquest heard.
Martin Penny, 63, of Ilkley, West
Yorks, was once worth an estimated
£80 million after his products were
used in salons around the world,
earning endorsements from stars such
as Madonna and Jennifer Aniston.
But in recent years he feared
bankruptcy after one of his firms went
into administration, which caused him
to suffer from insomnia and anxiety.
At an inquest, Mr Penny’s family
described their concerns about howhis condition had deteriorated as he
was prescribed different drugs.
His sister said: “He had anxiety all
his life. He had never talked about
suicide until he took those drugs. I
have never seen him in that state.”
His wife Diana found Mr Penny’s
body after she returned home on
June 18 last year.
Mr Perry, who was reportedly worth
£50 million in 2016, also owned
consultancy firm OHS when it went
into administration and had resigned
as director days before his death.
Rob Turnbull, the coroner, recorded
a verdict of suicide.Burglary victim, 93, dies of broken heart
An elderly woman has died from
“broken heart syndrome” after her
house was burgled by men posing as
police officers.
Betty Munroe, 93, died on
Wednesday, more than a month after
thieves forced their way into her home
in Northampton and stole all of her
jewellery.
The three men used garden shears
to break into the widow’s house via the
back door before they falsely claimed
to be police officers.
Following the incident, Mrs
Munroe, who had a weak heart, had
nightmares, tremors and insomnia.She was eventually diagnosed with
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also
known as “broken heart syndrome”.
Her family said: “Before the
burglary, she was happy and living
independently in her home of 56
years. The violent actions of these
callous individuals robbed her not
only of precious possessions but of her
sense of security and peace and the
will to go on.”
Det Insp Simon Barnes said: “This is
one of the saddest cases I have come
across and a stark reminder of how
deeply a burglary can affect a victim.”
The thieves remain at large.Prison targeted in
violence-reduction
scheme sees
assaults rise 50pc
By Charles Hymas
Home AffAirS editorA FLAGSHIP prison saw assaults in-
crease by 50 per cent despite being
part of a £10 million plan to reduce vio-
lence and drugs.
The average monthly number of as-
saults at Wormwood Scrubs in London
rose from 34 to 51, according to an offi-
cial audit of Rory Stewart’s 10 target
jails; where the former prisons minis-
ter pledged to reduce violence and
drugs in a year – or quit his post.
Nottingham also saw violence rise
while in Hull there was no change.
Overall, the rate of assaults at the 10
jails fell by 16 per cent and the number
of positive drug tests halved.
The jails were given the £10 million
to pay for body scanners, drug detec-
tion equipment, extra staff, repairs and
refurbishment.
While the Prison Officers’ Associa-
tion said that if Stewart was in post he
would have had to go, as he had prom-
ised an improvement across the board,
the Howard League for Penal Reform
said he would not have had to resign.
Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the
POA, said: “I would say to Rory Stewart
that if his ten-prison project has not
yielded results in all 10 prisons, it’s
time for him to resign.”
Frances Crook, chief executive of the
Howard League, said she did not be-
lieve Mr Stewart would have had to re-
sign: “It is a good thing they spent the
money and prevented staff and people
from being assaulted.”
At the prisons that did see an im-
provement, HMP Lindholme and HMP
Isis both had a 46 per cent reduction in
assaults, while drug use fell by 84 per
cent at Lindholme and 78 per cent at
HMP Wealstun.
Lucy Frazer, the Prisons Minister,
said: “I am encouraged by the results of
this bold project to turn around some
of our most difficult prisons, which
have seen drops in both violence and
drug use.”22pc
The chances of surviving five years with
late-stage ovarian cancer. If it is picked up
early, a woman has a 90 per cent chance12 ***^ Friday 23 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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