They cope with cancer but often become victims of superbugs

They deal with the cancer, are treated and then manage to survive thanks to constantly evolving therapies, but risk

infection .

Cancer patients are among the

.

Treating them, in time, with the new antibiotics, already available today but often used in a limited or delayed way, would save at least a thousand people every year in Italy. 

This is the appeal that comes from the experts gathered in Turin at the "

" congress, co-organized by the Menarini International Foundation, the University of Turin, the Amedeo di Savoia Hospital in Turin and the Cardinal Massaia Hospital in Asti.   

Every year, over

worldwide die from resistant bacteria, such as Klebsiaella Pneumoniae (which, among others, can cause pneumonia and urinary tract infections), Acinetobacter (which can cause respiratory infections), but also Pseudomonas (which can cause can give rise, for example, to meningitis) and the World Week of Antimicrobial Awareness (18-24 November) is dedicated to this “silent pandemic”. 

The main victims of these pathogens are

, for which it is the second cause of death. 

To highlight this is an analysis of 223 studies published in the "American Cancer Journal for Clinicians", which shows that one in 5 is hospitalized due to infections and mortality is 3 times higher than other patients. 

registered every year due to antibiotic resistance 

are cancer patients .

“The highest mortality rate is linked above all - explains Giovanni Di Perri, co-chair of the congress and professor of Infectious Diseases of the University of Turin - to the reduced defenses due to the disease or induced by chemotherapy.

In addition, they have more frequent

following tumor-related interventions or because they are forced to stay in hospital for long and repeated periods ". 

the World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly called for greater commitment and resources in scientific research on superbugs.

Now the new generation antibiotics are there, but

or used late. 

“Early access for patients to new antibiotics effective against multidrug-resistant germs is not always easy.

The current policy of limited use - continues Di Perri - has not proved effective and threatens to compromise their contribution.

The destiny of each antibiotic is to select the germs resistant to it over time.

But if used well it can have a prolonged life which allows us, in the meantime, to synthesize new molecules that will replace the old ones ". 

is not adopted

", concludes the expert, "we risk going back decades in cancer mortality rates, not because cancer kills, but antibiotic-resistant infections".