More than 20 patients in Britain who say their quality of life was wrecked when they were unnecessarily given a highly toxic cancer drug are suing the NHS trust involved, reports The Independent.
Some people were prescribed temozolomide, which should normally be used for only six months, for more than a decade during treatment by the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
Side effects from the over-prescribing included secondary cancers and crippling fatigue, they said.
Earlier this year the Care Quality Commission was looking into at least 14 cases, but lawyers say more are emerging all the time. An investigation by legal firm Brabners found that over the past 20 years, numerous patients with brain and spinal tumours under the care of Professor Ian Brown were routinely exposed to prolonged and in some cases “unnecessary” use of the chemotherapy drug, which has severe side effects, including extreme fatigue, confusion, sickness and seizures.
The time periods for which they were given temozolomide allegedly ran contrary to medical and scientific guidelines. Standard NHS procedure is to use the drug over six months, while the drug manufacturer advises it be used for up to 12 months.
One man said he was prescribed it for nearly two years longer than necessary, suffering extreme fatigue and low mood as a result.
A woman in her 20s said she was misdiagnosed with cancer, receiving the drug needlessly for about eight years.
Some patients are now having treatment for secondary cancers allegedly linked to overuse of temozolomide, the lawyers claim.
Others claimed its prolonged use left them unable to pursue career ambitions and normal daily activities because the chemotherapy was debilitating, with a long recovery time. Some reported loss of fertility or abnormal blood test results.
The legal team says data show that the trust’s spending on the drug of £3.6m from 2009 to 2024 is 10 times that of other NHS oncology departments.
The lawyers are now calling for an extended patient safety review and independent investigation, focusing in particular on treatment received by patients under Brown dating back to 2006.
The trust has been conducting an internal patient safety review, covering 2017 to 2023, when Brown retired.
Fiona Tinsley, head of Medical Negligence at Brabners, said: “The extent of this scandal, and the physical and mental impact it has had on these patients, cannot be underestimated.
“We believe there are many more out there who haven’t yet come forward and some who may have sadly died.
“While we welcome the ongoing investigations being undertaken by the General Medical Council and Royal College of Physicians, we believe a full independent inquiry is necessary – including an extension of the trust’s own review back to 2006 – not only to ensure justice for victims, but so that processes are put in place to better identify and prevent such failings from happening again.”
A spokesperson for the trust told The Independent: “We have comprehensively reviewed and spoken to all individuals who were receiving temozolomide (TMZ) treatment at the end of 2023 to ensure appropriate support and care plans are in place.
“A glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumour with fewer than 2% of patients surviving longer than 10 years. This is an extremely complex condition and all modes of treatment – surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – carry the risk of complications and side effects.
“National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidelines recognise that clinicians can exercise professional judgment appropriate to individual circumstances when offering treatment to patients.
“We have commissioned the Royal College of Physicians to conduct an independent review of a representative cohort of patients who received more than than 12 cycles of adjuvant TMZ between 2017 and 2023.”
It’s understood that CQC inspectors have been in touch with the trust to understand the details, and seek assurances that patients are not at risk.
The regulator will be reviewing more information to judge whether it needs to be involved.
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