Multicenter retrospective study of antimicrobial resistance in outpatients with cancer compared with outpatients without cancer

Infections are the second leading cause of death in patients with cancer and are often caused by resistant bacteria. A retrospective study of patients from 198 centers in the USA investigated the frequency of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial isolates from outpatients with cancer compared with outpatients without cancer. The study found that AMR proportions and AMR incidence rate ratios for most key pathogens were up to three times higher in isolates from outpatients with cancer than those without cancer, highlighting the need for enhanced surveillance, infection prevention, and timely diagnostic stewardship to improve antibiotic prescribing in this population.