Antimicrobial resistance resources

The threat of antimicrobial resistance to cancer treatment and survival is a priority for UICC. Currently, knowledge and awareness of the impact of antimicrobial resistance on cancer outcomes within the cancer community is low. It is urgent that oncology professionals, cancer advocates, programme managers, patient groups and other stakeholders working in the field of cancer understand and address the factors that contribute to the development and spread of AMR and strategies for infection control.

In this regard, UICC will develop information to increase awareness and support the cancer community to come together and drive policy change, taking forward the WHO global action plan on antimicrobial resistance.

To sustain focus on the issue and mobilize action on addressing AMR, a special supplement of AMR Control emphasizing the impact of AMR on cancer care outcomes and was launched at the World Cancer Congress 2022. Written by over 50 experts committed to researching the scale of AMR and to finding workable solutions, the supplement is an excellent reference for the cancer community as well as being a key resource for advocacy efforts.

How antibiotic resistance develops

• Antibiotics help our bodies to kill the types of bacteria that make us sick.

• Some of the bacteria that make us sick get better at defending themselves against antibiotics, meaning resistant bacteria are harder to kill. This is called antibiotic resistance.​

• The resistant bacteria start to multiply, making our antibiotics less and less effective.

Image source: PHARMAC, NZ - https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/keepantibioticsworking/

External documents & links

Useful links for further reading

• 5 questions on AMR by Cary Adams, CEO UICC
• WHO factsheet on antibiotic resistance
• WHO One health approach
• "Antibiotics Handle with Care" experience – World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Organisation for Animal Health
  “Antibiotics: Handle with Care” is an interactive experience and global forum for learning about and sharing activities related to appropriate antibiotic use.
• Anti-Microbial Resistance: Podcast with Anand Shah, MD, and Steve Solomon,DVM
• Don’t leave it halfway – EU Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections
  Four videos emphasize that everyone has a role to play in keeping antibiotics working.
• ReAct
• ReAct Policy Brief: Successful cancer treatment relies on effective antibiotics
• “No Antibiotics in Our Food” – ReAct Group
  "No Antibiotics in Our Food” is a game of slides and ladders that explores how antimicrobial resistance in food animal production can be reduced through various measures.
• Anti-Microbial Resistance: Podcast with Anand Shah, MD, and Steve Solomon, DVM –US Food and Drug Administration FDA Insight Podcast
• Wellcome Trust and its focus on drug resistance​
• Superheroes Against Superbugs (SaS) – Wellcome Trust and DBT India Alliance
  Sas is an initiative launched in 2018 with the aim to build a community dedicated to tackle the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant infections in India. SaS programs aim to engage with the general public to raise public awareness and improve public understanding of this global threat to build a society of smart antibiotic users.
• GARDP REVIVE education and collaboration platform
• Norwegian Cancer Society’s campaign on AMR
• CARB – X – Resources and videos
• Access to Medicines Foundation – The AMR Benchmark
• AMR control
• Broken Antibiotics Market Puts Cancer Treatments at Risk – Pew Charitable Trusts
  A data visualization highlights how problems in the antibiotics market pose a risk to the future of effective cancer treatment.