Becky Jones was 21 when she was told she had a malignant brain tumor and had only months to live.
Not long after she met her partner, she was dreaming of a career in police, but suddenly the future became bleak.
The diagnosis, made by a consultant specializing in cancer treatment, led to her undergoing chemotherapy that lasted 11 years, which changed the nature of her life. She constantly felt nauseous, was no longer able to participate in family events, her career stopped, and she always felt afraid and anxious.
Becky, now 34, recently learned that she did not have cancer to begin with, but rather a brain infection that could be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
The mother-of-two is one of more than 40 patients taking legal action against University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust over prolonged or unnecessary cancer treatment.
“I was told over and over that I would die without chemotherapy,” she said.
"You ruined my life"
Becky says that when she was young, consultant Professor Ian Brown at Coventry University Hospital told her she would need to take the chemotherapy drug temozolomide (TMZ) for the rest of her life. Although medical guidelines recommend six cycles over six months.
When she questioned the results of several tests that showed no evidence of a tumor, the consultant told her it “would not be visible to the naked eye.”
The truth was not known until 2025, when the institution's cancer cases linked to Brown were under review.
"I didn't have a brain tumor. I was misdiagnosed, and I went through all this treatment for most of my adult life, for no reason. It has completely ruined my life."
Several of Brown's patients told the BBC that they had been taking TMZ for years, causing them a variety of serious health problems.
One patient said she believed the drug had made her barren, while another patient developed leukemia after 100 unnecessary courses of treatment.
Preliminary findings of a review by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) suggested that hospitalized patients were routinely receiving prolonged doses of the drug with “little or no evidence of benefit”.
The report concluded that staff failures at the hospital amounted to a “betrayal of patients’ trust,” and also questioned why oncology pharmacists had not been reviewing 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 "stricter supervision of the prescribing and use of TMZ".
In 2012, life was just getting started for Becky, as she met her partner Pete, but soon after she started suffering from severe migraines and sought medical help and then a neurosurgeon performed a brain biopsy.
But Fiona Tinsley, a partner at law firm Brabners, said Professor Brown had diagnosed Becky with stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, before the results were available.
The BBC tried to contact the retired professor several times.
Becky described her years on chemotherapy drugs as "horrific".
"It was constant nausea, stomach pain, mouth ulcers, and daily fatigue. It was terrible," she said.
The medication affected every aspect of her life, with fear of infection causing her to avoid social events and family gatherings. Her driver's license was also initially revoked, then she was restricted.
She explained, "Before treatment, I used to go to the gym all the time. I used to practice running, and Pete and I used to go for walks together, but because of treatment, all of that stopped." The couple were also informed that Becky would not be able to have children.
“Then I gave birth to two children, and he told me they were miracles,” she said.
Her treatment continued for more than a decade, until suddenly, in 2024, she received a phone call from a doctor saying her chemotherapy would be stopped.
"He had no reason to. He told me Ian Brown had retired – that was the first I'd heard of it," Becky says.
She was told the new oncologist would answer any questions, but her name was not given.
“I didn’t know what to do, where to turn, or who to talk to because I didn’t receive any 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 that she did not have brain cancer in the first place.
She was actually suffering from myelitis edema — an infection usually treated by neurologists who prescribe powerful antibiotics.
Becky received the news via video call with her lawyer and experts. “When we found out, everyone had tears in their eyes,” said Tinsley, who represents many patients.
The case review committee report, which did not name Professor Ian Brown but referred to as "Dr. Y", concluded that 15 of the 20 cases reviewed were "generally unsatisfactory". The consultant also did not participate in the review.
The review team found there was "little evidence" of understanding and documenting the risks of taking the drug.
Preliminary results indicated that there were “deficiencies in clinical investigation” in some cases, in addition to weak cooperation with colleagues within multidisciplinary work teams, which allowed potential diagnostic errors to continue without being detected or corrected.
More investigations
“The Foundation will evaluate the full Royal College of Physicians review when it is published and will take further appropriate action based on its findings.”
The foundation added: “We want to reassure people that patient safety and health remain our top priority.”
