Becky Jones was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour aged 21 and spent 11 years enduring chemotherapy, only to learn she never had cancer at all. Independent experts later concluded she had actually been suffering from tumefactive demyelination, a treatable inflammatory brain condition, meaning she endured over a decade of unnecessary toxic treatment, lasting side effects and constant fear of death for a disease she never had. Her case has come to light as part of a wider scandal at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, where more than 40 patients and families are pursuing legal action over allegedly prolonged or unnecessary cancer treatment under retired consultant neuro-oncologist Professor Ian Brown.

A Royal College of Physicians review of 20 related cases found none demonstrated good practice, with 15 rated unsatisfactory overall, citing failures in clinical decision-making, patient consent and oversight, including chemotherapy continued for years without proper evidence or documentation, and some patients given over 100 cycles of the drug temozolomide. Jones's own diagnosis was reportedly made before her biopsy results were even returned, and she was told she would need to stay on chemotherapy indefinitely, suffering nausea, mouth ulcers, exhaustion and social isolation, plus warnings she might never have children — despite which she went on to have two. Her treatment finally ended in 2024 when a doctor contacted her to say the diagnosis had been wrong.