Radiation ‘can halt spread of male cancer’

Russian ships off coast as crisis unfolded

INTENSE doses of highly focused radiation may help contain prostate cancer, say researchers.

A team studied 54 men with recurrent prostate cancer that had spread to other parts of the body.

Over six months, the disease progressed in 19% of those treated with stereotactic ablative radiation compared with 61% undergoing observation.

SABR patients also had a lower risk of new cancers.

Study leader Dr Phuoc Tran, of Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said: “It’s been a long-standing question whether radiation can stimulate the immune system. Our trial offers data to suggest SABR can.” were also deployed in the operation, which started on March 8 and lasted a week. Since then, 700 military personnel have been drafted in to help the fight against Covid-19, including staffing NHS wards, building field hospitals and delivering vital equipment to health workers.

Four of the Navy’s 13 ageing Type 23 Duke-class frigates – HMS Kent, HMS Sutherland, HMS Argyll and HMS Richmond – were involved. They were joined by HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey.

Two Royal Fleet Auxiliary refuelling ships, Tideforce and Tidespring, also took part in the “large-scale operation”.

Choppers from 814 and 815 Naval Air Squadrons took to the air to track the convoy, which included three Steregushchiy-class corvettes, two Ropucha-class landing ships, two Admiral Grigorovichclass frigates plus support ships.

HMS Tyne’s executive officer, Lieutenant Nick Ward, said: “As the Armed Forces are helping the NHS save lives in the UK, it’s essential the Navy continues to deliver the tasks we have always performed to help keep Britain safe.

“This is routine business for HMS Tyne and it represents one of the many roles our patrol vessels perform in support of the Royal Navy.” The Navy said its sailors and aircrew were “monitoring every movement of the ships using state-of-the-art radar, surveillance cameras and sensors, allowing them to track their course as they passed Britain”.

The taskforce forms part of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One. It is kept at “very high readiness”, the Navy said.

A Navy source said it was likely the Russian ships entered the waters as a reaction to a cancelled NATO exercise and was not Russia “testing our reaction at a time of national crisis”.

Russia will suspend all international flights from today as the virus spreads.