A cancer patient has spent more than 14 years receiving unnecessary chemotherapy, hospital officials have admitted.

Lawyers representing the man claim they know of 12 further patients – all in Coventry – saying his case is “the tip of the iceberg”.

NHS guidelines recommend that they should not use the chemotherapy drug they were originally prescribed, temozolomide, for longer than six months.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) said it was conducting an internal review of what happened and stressed it was committed to providing the best care for its patients.

Patient advocates claim that long-term treatment with temozolomide increases the risk of secondary cancer, chronic liver problems and increases the fear of death.

The patient, who was originally treated for a cancerous brain tumor, said the ongoing treatment has caused him to suffer fatigue, joint pain, gastrointestinal distress, frequent mouth ulcers and nausea.

His long-term chemotherapy program was revealed only when the consultant who treated him, Professor Ian Brown, retired.

A consultant who took charge of his care confirmed that the four-week cycles of chemotherapy were not what he needed.

A letter to the patient’s mother from the trust’s chief executive, Ian Hardy, acknowledged that the treatment her son received was “not evidence-based”.

Mr Hardy wrote, “I cannot imagine the impact this has had on him. I would like to apologize on behalf of the Trust for the unnecessary treatment of your son.”

Professor Brown has since been referred to the General Medical Council by Brabners, the law firm representing the patient.

The GMC has also placed Professor Brown under interim restrictions with conditions on his ability to practise. He cannot prescribe, administer, or take primary responsibility for any chemotherapy drugs until a complete investigation is completed.

Fiona Tinsley, head of clinical negligence and serious injury at Brabners, said: “Enduring repeated waves of temozolomide chemotherapy for more than a decade had a significant impact on our client’s health, well-being and quality of life Is.

“This has limited their options in terms of education and career and made starting a family incredibly stressful.”

Paralegal Becky Addison said the firm was aware of at least a dozen other affected patients.

“(They) have undergone similar unnecessary long-term courses of temozolomide chemotherapy, but this is likely to be the tip of the iceberg, with many more lives affected,” he said.

UHCW acknowledged that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) only recommends use for six months and the patient had been receiving the drug for more than 15 years.

The trust declined to answer any further questions, saying it would be dealt with as part of an internal review.

Professor Andy Hardy, chief executive of UHCW, said: “We take very seriously any allegation that the care provided by a member of staff, past or present, may fall short of the standards we expect for our patients. Expect for.

“I can confirm that we are conducting an internal review of this matter and once this is complete, we will consider what further steps may be necessary.”

Temozolomide is used to treat an aggressive form of brain tumor called glioblastoma.

Only 2% of patients with this type of tumor survive more than 10 years.

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