Patient discovers 13 years of unnecessary chemotherapy after NHS misdiagnosis
Andrew Whitehead spent over 13 years receiving intensive chemotherapy for a tumour later re-classified as low-grade, prompting legal action against the NHS trust.
Andrew Whitehead from Redditch sought medical help in September 2010 after severe neck pain and neurological symptoms. Scans revealed a cervical spinal cord tumour, leading to emergency neurosurgery at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire and a diagnosis of anaplastic astrocytoma by pathologists at University Hospitals Birmingham. He was placed on radiotherapy and long-term Temozolomide chemotherapy, which continued for over 13 years despite stable MRI results.
A 2024 re-examination of the tumour tissue re-classified it as a low-grade pilocytic astrocytoma, indicating the original diagnosis was incorrect. Whitehead, joined by over 40 similarly affected patients, has filed claims alleging extreme negligence, while law firm Brabners accuses the Trust of a cover-up; an external review by the Royal College of Physicians is underway.
Why it matters
The case highlights potential systemic failures in NHS cancer diagnosis and treatment, affecting patient safety and trust.
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