I had 11 years of chemotherapy for a cancer I didn't have

A woman has discovered she underwent 11 years of unnecessary chemotherapy for a brain tumour she never had. She is now among dozens of patients taking legal action against an NHS trust following revelations of misdiagnosis by a consultant.
Why it matters
This case highlights severe failures in medical oversight and the devastating personal impact of systemic diagnostic errors within healthcare institutions.
Image caption, Becky Jones was told she had months to live despite no tumour showing up in scans
Becky Jones was just 21 when she was told she had a terminal brain tumour and months to live.
She had not long met her partner and dreamed of a career in policing, but suddenly the future was looking bleak.
The diagnosis, by an experienced cancer consultant, led to 11 years of chemotherapy treatment which changed her life. She regularly felt sick, she was unable to take part in family events, her career was curtailed and she felt constantly "on eggshells".
Now 33, she has recently learned she never had cancer at all but an inflammation of the brain that could have been treated with steroids.
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