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A British woman took chemotherapy for 11 years to treat what she was told was an aggressive brain tumour, only to discover she never had cancer.
Becky Jones was 21 when she was diagnosed in 2012 and told by a senior consultant that she had only months to live, prescribing her a chemotherapy drug called temozolomide.
She took the medication for 11 years, describing the experience as "horrendous" due to constant nausea, stomach pains, mouth ulcers, and daily fatigue, despite UK health guidelines advising against taking the drug for more than six months.
In 2024, Jones was informed that her consultant, Prof Ian Brown, had retired and that her treatment would be stopped.
It was only after her treatment ceased that she was informed she had never suffered from cancer, with experts suggesting she had actually experienced brain inflammation, a condition treatable with steroids.
"He has ruined my life essentially for no reason," said Jones. "I never had a brain tumour, I was misdiagnosed, and I have gone through all this treatment for the main part of my adult life for no reason."
The 34-year-old mother of two is now among more than 40 patients taking legal action against University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust over prolonged or unnecessary cancer treatments.
The Royal College of Physicians is also investigating 20 cases in which patients received temozolomide at the trust for longer than recommended under official guidelines.
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