A woman, namely Becky Jones, was treated with chemotherapy for more than a decade after being wrongly diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour at the age of 21.

Becky, now 34, was told she had months to live after being diagnosed by the NHS with a grade four glioblastoma (a fast-growing brain tumour) in 2012, following severe migraines. She underwent 11 years of chemotherapy and other treatments. She has since been informed that she never had cancer and in fact had tumefactive demyelination (a lesion that can mimic a brain tumour), an inflammation of the brain that could have been treated with steroids.

Speaking with the BBC, she said: “I was told time and time again that without the chemotherapy I would die. I never had a brain tumour. I was misdiagnosed, and I’ve gone through all this treatment for the main part of my adult life, for no reason.”

Becky had care provided to her under the University Hospital Coventry. She was under the care of Professor Ian Brown, who has now retired from the practice. He told her she would need the chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ) for the rest of her life, despite guidance recommending six cycles over six months. She says concerns she raised about not being able to see the tumour on scans were dismissed, with the consultant reportedly saying it would not be “visible to the naked eye”.

She further claims the NHS gave no explanation for ending her chemotherapy other than that Professor Brown was retiring.

Becky criticised the Trust’s oversight, stating: “It’s almost like he was running his own show, and no one was there to monitor what he was doing.”

More than 40 patients are understood to have raised similar allegations of prolonged or unnecessary cancer treatment at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust. They are pursuing legal action against the trust.

Becky describes “horrendous” side effects from multiple rounds of chemotherapy, including constant nausea, stomach pain and severe fatigue. She had fears about having infections which led her to avoid social events, stop going to the gym and refrain from dining out with her partner. Her driving licence was removed and later restricted. She says that the couple were told that she could not become pregnant, and were told that her two subsequent children were “miracles”, until a doctor called her in 2024 to say her treatment was ending.

Since it was announced in 2025 that cases connected to Professor Brown were being reviewed, other patients have told the BBC of concerns about extended TMZ treatment. One said years of TMZ had made her infertile. Another alleged that 100 unnecessary cycles of treatment led to leukaemia.

Preliminary findings from a Royal College of Physicians (RCP) review, reported by the Telegraph, suggest patients were routinely given prolonged courses of TMZ with “little or no evidence of benefit”. The review reportedly identified staff failings amounting to a “betrayal of patient trust” and raised concerns about oncology pharmacy teams dispensing oral chemotherapy continuously for 10 to 15 years.

According to the RCP review, which referred to “Dr Y” rather than naming Professor Brown, 15 of 20 cases reviewed were “unsatisfactory overall”, citing “insufficient clinical curiosity” and a lack of collaboration that allowed persistent diagnostic errors.

A spokesperson for UHCW NHS Trust said: “Following concerns raised about the use of extended adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy in the treatment of high-grade brain tumours, including glioblastomas, and the care provided by retired neuro-oncology consultant Ian Brown, the trust has commissioned an independent review by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). The review will be published later in the autumn.

While we await the review, we have already put in place actions, informed by initial feedback, to ensure more robust oversight of the prescription and use of TMZ and ensure patient safety.

All patients receiving TMZ at the time of Ian Brown’s retirement have been reviewed by senior clinicians, with appropriate care plans put in place.

We are also undertaking an independent review of our speak-up processes, led by an independent party, to ensure staff feel fully supported and confident in raising any concerns.

The trust will assess the full RCP review when it is published and will take further appropriate action based on its findings.

To protect patient privacy, we are unable to comment on individual patient care. However, if any patients have concerns about their treatment or care, they are encouraged to contact the trust’s patient relations service, who can provide support and ensure their questions and concerns are addressed appropriately.

We want to reassure our community that patient safety, experience, and wellbeing remain our top priorities.”

If you have received care from Professor Brown or any other consultant at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, which you feel was not of the standard you were entitled to expect, and have suffered harm as a result of this, please contact our experienced team to discuss how we may be able to assist.