UICC unites the cancer community to address antimicrobial resistance ahead of the 2024 UN high-level meeting

In the face of the growing threat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and ahead of the second high-level meeting (HLM) on AMR in September 2024, UICC is intensifying efforts to highlight the current evidence on AMR, identify areas where research and knowledge on AMR and cancer care can be strengthened and share best practices.

Unlike other diseases, AMR doesn't have a single identifiable ‘face’. It is a complex and widespread issue affecting all medical treatments across therapeutic areas. This ‘silent pandemic’ requires immediate and collective action and a critical first step is raising awareness on the urgency of addressing it.

To achieve this goal, it is important to identify champions who can effectively represent the cause of AMR. The cancer community is disproportionately affected by AMR as people living with cancer are particularly vulnerable to infections. As many as one in five cancer patients receiving treatment are hospitalised with an infection, and antimicrobials such as antibiotics and antifungals are often the last line of defence.  As the drugs designed to kill the microbes that cause often life-threatening infections are increasingly ineffective, treatments also become ineffective and patient survival rates are negatively affected. With infections being the second most common cause of death among cancer patients, the need to address AMR within cancer care is pressing.

The political declaration from the first UN HLM on AMR in 2016 advocated for worldwide and national actions to confront this issue. The forthcoming HLM in September 2024 offers a crucial moment for the cancer and infectious disease sectors to come together and advocate for meaningful progress.

UICC has been raising awareness and speaking out about this issue for several years, and now seeks to further raise awareness among its membership and support national advocacy efforts. UICC has formed a taskforce on AMR and cancer control, enlisting experts from  the cancer, AMR and infectious disease communities.

UICC's work on AMR focuses on three primary areas, encompassing data collection and surveillance to gauge the impact of drug-resistant infections on cancer care; improving the availability, affordability and sustained access to quality assured medicines and diagnostics for existing essential medicines, while advocating for the research and development of new antimicrobials and rapid diagnostic tests; and integrating AMR into national cancer strategies and policies, notably for treatment protocols.

To further galvanise its community for the HLM and the period that follows, UICC is organising a sequence of events and activities designed to spur collaboration across the AMR, infectious diseases, and non-communicable diseases sectors.

Notable initiatives include a communications drive in the lead-up to the HLM, featuring e-blasts, op-eds, and videos, as well as blogs and news articles on different AMR and cancer facets, including advocacy work, to amplify the cancer community’s involvement in the AMR response.

UICC will also be hosting a series of Virtual Dialogues in 2024, which will explore various facets of AMR and cancer, addressing treatment access, the role of the oncology workforce in stewardship, and the importance of data for understanding and managing AMR. This latter topic will be the focus of the first Virtual Dialogue end April.

These specialised webinars will delve into the questions of appropriate treatment, infection prevention and control, rational drug use, and the research and development of new therapies and diagnostics. These discussions also aim to illustrate the power of collaborative action and highlight the importance of engaging civil society and other communities.

Additional events include a side event at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, centred on missions, and a briefing in New York during the multi stakeholder dialogue preceding the HLM on AMR. The UICC taskforce on AMR will release a concise briefing paper outlining the cancer community’s primary asks.

The 2024 high-level meeting on AMR in September is the ideal opportunity to unite the cancer community and other stakeholders for a collective approach to AMR, and to build on efforts initiated by the 2016 declaration to encourage commitments from international governments and organisations.

If you have experienced a drug-resistant infection while undergoing cancer treatment, please share your experience!