One in four oncologists in Britain have seen an increase in drug-resistant infections in the past year

Tens of thousands of cancer patients are at risk of contracting antibiotic resistant superbugs that could make chemotherapy unviable within the next decade, oncologists warn.

Cancer patients rely on daily antibiotics for prevention and treatment of infections. However, the rise of bacteria that are resistant to many drugs threatens to undermine modern treatment of the disease.

One in four oncologists in Britain have seen an increase in drug-resistant infections in the last year, figures shared with The Times reveal. A survey of a hundred cancer doctors by the Longitude Prize, set up to help solve the problem, found that 95 per cent were worried about the rise of superbugs in their patients. Forty-six per cent believed that drug-resistant infections could make chemotherapy unviable.

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