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Mentally ill man stabbed his father, 81, to death as he sat in armchair at home

A mentally-ill man has been locked up indefinitely after stabbing his 81-year-old father to death. Frank Samuel, 54, was heard to say “don’t call me Frankie” as he attacked father-of-four Arthur Samuel on September 28 last year.

Earlier that day he sent him a “rambling” text message saying: “Do not try to contact this number again.” When he arrived at his father’s home in Catford, south-east London, his sister, Claire Samuel, asked if he was all right, prosecutor Anthony Orchard QC had said.

The defendant replied “No” and marched straight past her as if he was “on a mission”, jurors at the Old Bailey were told. Samuel then picked up two knives from a block and walked into the living room where his father had been sitting in an armchair.

PA The case was heard at the Old Bailey in London

His sister heard him tell his father “Don’t call me Frankie, don’t call me Frankie”. She pulled the door closed and when she opened it slightly saw her father on the floor with the defendant stabbing him.

She shut the door again until she received help from a neighbour. Police arrived at the property in Burford Road at 9.51am and found the neighbour still holding the door.

Mr Orchard had said: “Police opened the door and found Frank Samuel, sitting on the sofa holding a bloodied knife in each hand. He had the blades pointing upwards. He was, according to the officers, ranting and raving.

“He was asked to put the knives down. Initially, he refused. Arthur Samuel, his father, was lying on the floor between the chair and the table. There was a pool of blood around him.”

Police officers rushed at the defendant and overpowered him, the court heard. After being arrested, Samuel, from Hither Green, south-east London, said: “He’s not dead, he’s not dead.”

Arthur Samuel was treated by paramedics for stab wounds to the chest and was pronounced dead the same morning.On Wednesday, a jury found Samuel committed an unlawful act, after being told he was unfit to stand trial for the killing.

Judge John Hillen QC made the defendant subject to a hospital order without limit of time. He noted that Samuel suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had been in the care of psychiatric services for the last 30 years.

Reference: My London: Emily Pennink, PA Old Bailey Correspondent

Oesophageal cancer symptoms: 'A sensation of hoarseness' is a sign - what to spot

Doctor Rehan Haidry, Gastroenterologist and Interventional Endoscopist at Cleveland Clinic London, University College Hospital explained there are around 9,300 new oesophageal cancer cases in the UK every year. He said there are some early warning signs that might be a symptom of oesophageal cancer and your GP might refer you to a specialist for further tests.

Doctor Rehan said early warning signs of oesophageal cancer can include a sensation of hoarseness, known as loss of voice.

Or a person may find they need to clear their throat very frequently. He said this may be an initial symptom of the disease, especially when there isn't an obvious cause such as a recent upper respiratory infection.

The expert said: "The most common symptom of oesophageal cancer is trouble swallowing, especially a sensation of food getting stuck in the throat and chest.

"For some patients, choking on food also occurs. These symptoms gradually worsen over time, with an increase in pain on swallowing, as your oesophagus narrows from the growing cancer."

 GETTY woman speaking

Doctor Rehan said: "If someone has a tumour, it may cause bleeding in the throat which then travels into the stomach.

"If bleeding is heavy it may cause anaemia or low red blood cell counts, and the person may experience tiredness and fatigue due to blood loss."

He continued: "Some patients experience chest pain a few seconds after swallowing, when food or liquid reaches the site of the cancer in the oesophagus.

"These symptoms are more often caused by problems other than cancer, such as heartburn, so they are rarely seen as a signal that a person might have cancer."

The gastroenterologist added: "An oesophageal tumour may cause excess mucus or bleeding, which may lead to a persistent cough.

"In rare cases, the tumour may create a connection between the oesophagus and the trachea (the tube that takes air to the lungs)."

Unintentional weight loss is also a common symptom of oesophageal cancer, present in half of the people at the time of diagnosis, said the expert.He said unintentional weight loss is defined as the loss of five percent of body weight or more over a six to 12 month period.

Weight loss can be caused both by lack of nutrition due to swallowing difficulties and the metabolism of the tumour itself.

Doctor Rehan said: "Heartburn is a very common ailment that affects many people for many reasons.

"However, if you are experiencing frequent heartburn you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

"GERD is a digestive disorder that affects the lower oesophageal sphincter, a muscle that connects the oesophagus and the stomach."

If you get constant heartburn, he warned you should be scheduling an appointment with a gastroenterologist.

© GETTY Oesophageal cancer

He explained if a doctor suspects an oesophageal tumour based on symptoms or other factors, they may order diagnostic tests, including an endoscopy, which is a camera to look inside the oesophagus and stomach, a biopsy or possibly laboratory tests.

There are also some surgeries, which can be preventative. In anti-reflux surgery incisions are made in the abdomen and the surgeon wraps the stomach around the lowest portion of the oesophagus.

It is performed on the NHS for patients with GERD.There is also a new procedure called "TIF" (Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication) which mimics what surgeons do, but is incisionless and performed via endoscopy. It is faster than surgery, taking about 30 minutes. The TIF procedure is currently available at the Cleveland Clinic London Hospital. 

Reference: Daily Express: Harriet Whitehead

Vladimir Putin may have invaded Ukraine due to cancer affecting his decisions, expert claims

Russian President Vladimir Putin may have ordered the invasion of Ukraine because cancer is affecting his decision making, an oncologist has said. Reports suggest Putin is suffering from cancer and being treated with chemotherapy and steroids.

© AP/PA photowire service Vladimir Putin

It has also been suggested that he is suffering from Parkinson's or early stage dementia. Numerous experts, however, believe he may have started treatment for cancer before the war and is dealing with the effects of treatment.

A condition where decision making can be affected is called cancer-related cognitive impairment. It causes patients to "lose focus" and have problems remembering things.

It can also give people the ability to make "crazy" decisions without cogently thinking them through, reports the Mirror. The Kremlin has publicly declared that Putin is fit and well.

However, his strict coronavirus precautions, such as the use of the long table to meet world leaders, have led people to believe otherwise. The Russian warmonger has been seen in broadcasts looking puffy, slurring his words, appearing restless and finding it hard to stand.

One oncologist who spoke on condition of anonymity said that affects eight in 10 people with cancer to differing extents.

She continued: "For some it's simply knocking into things, being a bit clumsier and forgetting names, places and faces. But in others, it can seriously affect executive functions, like making plans for the future, multi-tasking and thinking about the consequences before doing something major.

"It can also lead a much shorter attention span, and losing focus on tasks - especially if you are having to deal with many things at once and are in a position of some responsibility."

She said his puffy face likely indicates water retention caused by steroids and chemotherapy drugs. The doctor also said that he is not focusing clearly, "he is struggling for balance and appearing to lose focus, all indicative of chemo brain".

According to the NHS, chemotherapy can cause a "change in your thinking processes", thus causing "difficulty with concentrating or with remembering things". It states: "People often describe being in a 'mental fog' or even slightly detached from the world around them."

Major General Kyrylo Budanov, a Ukrainian army boss, has claimed that Putin is in a "very bad psychological and physical condition and he is very sick".

He said: "It's my job, it's my work, if not me who will know this."

His remarks came as unconfirmed claims from the General SVR Telegram channel said that Putin may soon vanish so he can undergo surgery linked to cancer.

Reference: Hull Live: Rachel Hagan & Steven Smith

Cancer: Four sensations in the leg could be among ‘first clues' signalling 'lethal' cancer

Cancer is a disease of the cells and organs that is fast-spreading by nature. One surefire way to treat the condition is to catch it during the initial stages of its development. But pancreatic cancer, due to its location deep inside the body, is notoriously difficult to pick up at the outset. Four clues in the legs could be among the first signs of the disease, according to health bodies.

Pancreatic cancer has a unique ability to induce blood into a hyper-coagulative state.

In other words, the blood of patients with pancreatic cancer has an abnormal tendency to coagulate, which confers a higher risk of blood clotting.

Therefore, a clot in the leg is sometimes among the first clues that someone has pancreatic cancer, according to the Cancer Society.

"This is called a deep vein thrombosis," explains the health body.

"Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness and warmth in the affected leg. Sometimes, a piece of the clot can break off and travel to the lungs, which might make it hard to breathe or cause chest pain."

A blood clot that travels to the lungs is medically known as pulmonary embolism or PE, which carries a high mortality risk.

"Still, having a blood clot does not usually mean that you have cancer. Most blood clots are caused by other things," adds the Cancer Society.

It recently came to the attention of researchers that up to 70 percent of cancer patients are unaware they're at a higher risk of DVT than the general population.

The discovery emerged from the results of a survey carried out by the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), which assessed patient awareness and knowledge about cancer-associated DVT.

But aside from the fact that the condition is hard to pick up early, pancreatic cancer is also notoriously difficult to treat.

This makes pancreatic cancer the most lethal cancer in the body, according to Doctor Santhi Swaroop Vege, director of the pancreatic diseases group at Mayo Clinic.

In fact, the disease has an overall five-year survival rate of about seven percent, despite the marked medical advances effectuated in recent years.

© Getty CAncer

The disease is typically characterised by non-specific symptoms, such as weight loss, and abdominal pain, making early detection difficult.

The location of the pancreas in the body also makes it difficult to biopsy or image.

Doctor Vege told News Network: "That's one of the biggest problems we face. Usually, these people will have indigestion, and acid reflux, before finally somebody thinks of a CT scan."

Indeed, the condition tends to be found at advanced stages when abdominal pain or jaundice has resulted.

PRESS.CO.UK Cancer: The signs and symptoms

"At that time, it's already late," noted Dr Vege.

"If [the cancer] is localised to the pancreas and it is not involving the major structures, then the best treatment, of course, is resection - a big surgery."

The best way to treat pancreatic cancer, however, is to remove the tumour completely before it spreads to neighbouring regions.

Men have a slightly raised risk of pancreatic cancer compared to women, which has partly been attributed to higher rates of smoking among men. 

Reference: Daily Express: Solen Le Net