Andrew Whitehead spent 13 years undergoing chemotherapy for a neck tumour he was told was aggressive and life-limiting, only to learn in 2024 that his diagnosis was incorrect and the treatment was unnecessary. His case is among more than 40 patients now being investigated by lawyers after receiving allegedly unnecessary or prolonged chemotherapy at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, all under the care of Dr Ian Brown. An interim review by the Royal College of Physicians has confirmed serious failings in the provision of care, describing the errors as a betrayal of patient trust.

The Royal College of Physicians examined 20 cases and determined that 15 were "unsatisfactory overall", with none representing good practice. Patients had been prescribed extended courses of the chemotherapy drug temozolomide with "little or no evidence of benefit". Mr Whitehead, now 45, underwent 30 initial sessions of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, then continued on tablet cycles for five days every month for over a decade. Only when a new oncologist took over his care and reviewed his case was the tumour reclassified as low-grade, indicating that chemotherapy should never have been administered. The full Royal College of Physicians review is expected to be published later in autumn.