NHS wrongly gave woman 11 years of chemotherapy for cancer she did not have

Becky Jones, 34, is one of more than 40 patients and their families taking legal action over allegations of prolonged or unnecessary cancer treatment.

Becky claims she was diagnosed with a Grade 4 glioblastoma in 2012 and told she had just six to 12 months to live.

The mum-of-two says doctors at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire rushed her into treatment before biopsy results had been properly investigated.

Becky says she spent more than a decade taking chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ), undergoing radiotherapy and living under the shadow of a terminal diagnosis.

She has now been told she never had cancer but an inflammation of the brain which could have been treated with steroids.

She said: “I was initially told I would live six to 12 months and would never be able to have children.

“I was told if I didn't keep taking the chemotherapy I would die.”

Becky underwent scans in 2012 after suffering migraines before a scan in December revealed a mass on her brain.

She said: “I had a scan in December 2012 that showed some form of mass, so it was decided I needed a brain biopsy, but the results were lost.

“I was transferred to UHCW and they decided glioblastoma grade 4 without seeing the results.

“When the results came back it was either a lesion, an infection or a tumefactive demyelination.

“But instead of going ahead with the investigative work, they went straight into chemotherapy.”

Professor Ian Brown allegedly told Becky she would be infertile for life and prescribed TMZ indefinitely.

She began a week of chemotherapy before six weeks of radiotherapy, before being placed back on TMZ.

Now Becky claims experts have confirmed she actually had tumefactive demyelination, a rare condition which can mimic a brain tumour.

She said: “The tumefactive demyelination is on the differential diagnosis, so it could have been solved within a few weeks.”

Becky estimates she endured 156 cycles of chemotherapy and says the treatment left her suffering nausea, fatigue, depression, anxiety, ulcers, stomach pain and possible early menopause.

She said: “I was receiving treatment for 11 years, around 156 cycles chemotherapy.

“I had nausea, fatigue, depression and I was anxious all the time and had ulcers.

“I had stomach pains and constipation, and there’s a possibility that I've gone into early menopause.”

The former CCTV operator says the treatment also robbed her of career opportunities.

Her driving licence was revoked for two years and she says she was unable to pursue ambitions of joining the police.

She said: “I wanted to go into the police, but I couldn't do that.

“I was wanting to become an officer on the front lines but because of my biopsy, I was told I couldn't join.”

The mum says the diagnosis also devastated her personal life.

She was warned food poisoning could be dangerous because of chemotherapy, stopped attending family events and unnecessarily shielded during the Covid pandemic.

The cruellest blow, she says, came when her own mum was diagnosed with cancer.

Becky said: “At times when I didn’t need to be locked in home with cancer I didn’t have, I could have spent time with her instead - which is hard.”

Despite being told she would never have children, Becky later gave birth naturally to two youngsters after pausing chemotherapy.

After years of clear MRI scans, Becky finally began questioning her diagnosis in 2025.

She had stopped taking TMZ in March 2024 after receiving a phone call informing her that the treatment would cease following Prof Brown’s retirement.

She said: “I’d asked them before if I had a brain tumour, but I believed everything they said to me.

“They said the chemotherapy was keeping me alive, and I believed them, why not.”

Following expert reviews arranged by law firm Brabners, Becky was told her biopsy findings were consistent with tumefactive demyelination.

She said: “I found out over a teams conference with my clinical experts two weeks ago that I didn’t have a tumour.

“It had been expected but until someone tells you you’ve never had cancer that’s when it really hits you.”

The UHCW said all affected patients had been reviewed by senior clinicians "with appropriate care plans put in place".

A Trust spokesperson 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."