I had 11 years of chemotherapy for a cancer I didn't have

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I had 11 years of chemotherapy for a cancer I didn't have
- Published
Becky Jones was just 21 when she was told she had a terminal brain tumour and months to live.
She had not long met her partner and dreamed of a career in policing, but suddenly the future was looking bleak.
The diagnosis, by an experienced cancer consultant, led to 11 years of chemotherapy treatment which changed her life. She regularly felt sick, she was unable to take part in family events, her career was curtailed and she felt constantly "on eggshells".
Now 33, she has recently learned she never had cancer at all but an inflammation of the brain that could have been treated with steroids.
The mother of two is one of more than 40 patients taking legal action against University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust due to prolonged or unnecessary cancer treatment.
"I was told time and time again without the chemotherapy I would die," she said.
'He's ruined my life'
As a young woman, Jones says consultant Prof Ian Brown at University Hospital, Coventry, told her she would need to take chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ) for the rest of her life.
This is despite guidelines recommending six cycles over six months.
When she questioned multiple scans that did not seem to show evidence of a tumour, she says the consultant told her it would not be "visible to the naked eye".
It was only in 2025, when cancer cases at the trust connected to Brown were being reviewed, that she learned the truth.
"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," she said.
"He's just ruined my life, essentially," she added.
Many more of Brown's patients have told the BBC they were given TMZ for years, leaving them with a variety of serious medical issues.
One patient said she believed the drug had made her infertile, while another developed leukaemia after 100 unnecessary cycles.
The preliminary findings of a review by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said patients at the hospital were routinely given prolonged courses of the drug with "little or no evidence of benefit".
It found staff failings at the hospital amounted to a "betrayal of patient trust" and also questioned why oncology pharmacy teams did not challenge patients receiving oral chemotherapy continuously for 10 to 15 years.
UHCW said it would not comment on individual cases, but said measures had been put in place to ensure "more robust oversight of the prescription and use of TMZ".
In 2012, life was just beginning for Jones, a CCTV operator at Coventry City stadium. She met her partner Pete, a steward, at work, but soon after she began experiencing severe migraines and sought medical help.
She underwent a brain biopsy carried out by a private neurosurgeon.
But Fiona Tinsley, a partner at law firm Brabners, said Prof Brown had diagnosed her with a grade four glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, before the results had returned.
The BBC has attempted to contact the retired professor several times.
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Jones described her years taking the chemotherapy drugs as "horrendous".
"It was constant nausea, stomach pains, mouth ulcers, just day-to-day fatigue, it was awful," she said.
The drug affected every aspect of her life with the fear of infection meaning she avoided social events and family gatherings.
Her driving licence was also initially taken away, and then restricted.
"Before the treatment I used to go to the gym all the time, I was running, and me and Pete used to go for meals all the time, which obviously then I couldn't do," she explained.
The couple were also told she would be unable to get pregnant.
"I later went on to have two children, which he told me were both miracles," she said.
Her treatment continued for more than a decade, until suddenly, in 2024, she received a phonecall from a doctor saying her chemotherapy was stopping.
"He didn't have any reason as to why. He told me Ian Brown had retired - this was the first I'd heard of it," Jones said.
Any questions would be answered by her new oncologist, she was told, but she was not given any name.
"I didn't know what to do, where to turn, who to talk to because I had no support from the hospital during that time," she said.
In May 2025, after independent analysis by neurosurgeons and radiologists, on behalf of her lawyers, she was told she had never had cancer of the brain at all.
She had actually been suffering from a tumefactive demyelination - an inflammation which is usually treated by neurologists who would prescribe strong steroids.
Jones got the news on a video call with her solicitors and the experts.
"When we found out there were just tears in everyone's eyes," said Tinsley, who is representing many of the patients.
The RPC review, which did not name Prof Ian Brown but referred to "Dr Y", found out of the 20 cases reviewed, 15 were "unsatisfactory overall". The consultant did not participate in the review.
There was "scant evidence" of the understanding and documentation of the risks of taking the drug, the review team found.
The preliminary findings said there was "insufficient clinical curiosity" in some cases and a lack of collaboration with multidisciplinary team colleagues, allowing potential diagnostic errors to persist.
Jones described the findings as "chilling".
"It's not just about what he's done, it's about how they let him act on his own for so long," she added.
"It's almost like he was running his own show and no one was there to monitor what he was doing."
More investigations
A UHCW spokesperson said all affected patients had 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.
"We want to reassure our community that patient safety, experience and wellbeing remain our top priorities," the trust added.
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