IMPROVEMENTS could be made to cancer diagnoses thanks to a legacy from an Airedale Hospital patient.

An undisclosed sum left by the patient, who died at the Steeton hospital, will fund a new research project.

The benefactor had specifically requested that the money be donated to cancer studies.

Dr Michael Crawford – clinical lead for research at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust – will carry out the new study, which hopes to create a more accurate blood test.

The project will focus on cancer of the ovary, which is notoriously difficult to diagnose.

Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cause of death from the disease among women in the developed world.

Currently, most cases are not detected until later stages – when fewer than one-in-five patients survive for five years.

But when the disease is identified early enough, 90 per cent of ovarian cancer patients may survive for more than five years.

Dr Crawford says he is hopeful the research will bring positive results.

He added: “Airedale is an ideal hospital to conduct this research because it is so closely associated with the area it serves, the people who live here and the health services in the community.

“We are very grateful to have funding from someone local to take this forward.

“Researchers at the trust want to find out if they can improve the accuracy of initial tests for conditions in a woman’s pelvis, where the ovaries are located.

“We know that measuring a substance called CA125 is a good way of finding out which women need further tests.

“Previous research suggests that measuring another substance, HE4, in the blood alongside CA125 might be helpful in achieving this. The research team hopes that by measuring the two together, it will be able to reduce the number of women needing additional tests such as ultrasound scans – while still ensuring that those women who need it see a gynaecologist quickly.

“If the combined test works as we hope, GPs can be encouraged to investigate more women with the blood test without overloading the ultrasound service or requiring many other tests. This way, we may expect to see more women diagnosed in time to achieve a better outcome.”