Coventry affected person underwent 14 years of chemotherapy he didn’t want

A most cancers affected person has spent greater than 14 years receiving useless chemotherapy, sanatorium bosses have admitted.

Legal professionals representing the person declare they know of 12 extra sufferers – all in Coventry – announcing his case is the “tip of the iceberg”.

NHS Tips suggest the chemotherapy drug he was once at first prescribed, temozolomide, must now not be used for greater than six months.

College Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Believe (UHCW) mentioned it was once wearing out an inside overview into what came about, and wired it was once dedicated to offering the most productive handle its sufferers.

Legal professionals for the affected person declare that long-term remedy with temozolomide dangers secondary most cancers, continual liver issues and reinforces the concern of dying.

The affected person, who was once at first handled for a cancerous mind tumour, mentioned he had suffered fatigue, joint ache, gastrointestinal misery, recurrent mouth ulcers and nausea, on account of the continuing remedy.

His extended chemotherapy programme was once handiest came upon when the advisor treating him, Prof Ian Brown, retired.

A specialist who took over his care then showed the four-week cycles of chemotherapy he was once endeavor weren’t wanted.

A letter from the consider’s leader govt, Ian Hardy, to the affected person’s mom admitted the remedy her son had won “was once now not evidence-based”.

“I will not consider the have an effect on that this has had on him. I want to apologise on behalf of the consider on your son going thru useless remedy,” Mr Hardy wrote.

Prof Brown has since been referred to the Normal Clinical Council via Brabners, the legislation company representing the affected person.

He’s now underneath period in-between restrictions, with stipulations on his skill to practise and can’t prescribe, administer, or have number one duty for any chemotherapy medication pending a complete investigation.

Fiona Tinsley, head of scientific negligence and critical harm at Brabners, mentioned: “Enduring repeated waves of temozolomide chemotherapy for greater than a decade has taken an important toll on our consumer’s well being, wellbeing, and high quality of existence.

“It has limited their choices on the subject of their schooling and profession and made beginning a circle of relatives extremely hectic.”

Paralegal Becky Addison mentioned the company was once conscious about no less than a dozen different affected sufferers.

“[They] were thru equivalent useless long-term classes of this temozolomide chemotherapy, however that is prone to be the top of the iceberg with many extra lives impacted,” she mentioned.

UHCW authorized that the Nationwide Institute for Well being and Care Excellence (NICE) handiest recommends utilization for 6 months and that the affected person had won the drug for greater than 15 years.

The consider has declined to respond to to any extent further questions, which it mentioned could be handled as a part of the inner overview.

Leader govt officer at UHCW, Prof Andy Hardy, mentioned: “We take very critically any allegation that care supplied via a member of group of workers, previous or provide, could have fallen beneath the factors we might be expecting for our sufferers.

“I will ascertain we’re endeavor an inside overview of this topic and, as soon as that has been finished, we will be able to believe what additional steps is also important.”

Temozolomide is used to regard an competitive type of mind tumour referred to as a glioblastoma.

Simplest 2% of sufferers with this sort of tumour continue to exist longer than 10 years.