A leading cancer charity has hired a “fake news” nurse amid fears sufferers are being duped by quack cures.

Macmillan Cancer Support has hired a digital nurse specialist amid concern that patients are increasingly turning to websites promoting bogus cures and false information.

Some sites have claimed baking soda can cure breast cancer, with others frightening patients off treatment by claiming chemotherapy kills more people than cancer.

New new role will be solely dedicated to answering questions from people affected by cancer online, on Macmillan’s social media platforms and online forums.

Professor Jane Maher, the charity's joint chief medical officer said: “It’s completely natural for people to want to Google their diagnosis when they’re told they have cancer.

“But with countless unverified statistics, fake news and horror stories on the internet, ending up on the wrong website can be really worrying. This can leave people pinning their hopes on a dangerous bogus cure or underestimating the benefit of routine treatments,” she said.