A groundbreaking trial has found that a new “smart jab” called amivantamab can shrink head and neck cancer tumours within six weeks, offering fresh hope for patients whose disease has returned after standard treatments.
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer globally. When it recurs or spreads after chemotherapy and immunotherapy, treatment options are usually limited. But researchers say the triple-action drug amivantamab — delivered as a simple injection — could change that.
The findings, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin, showed that 76% of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma saw their tumours shrink or stop growing after receiving the drug. Most began responding within six weeks, and side effects were mostly mild to moderate.
Professor Kevin Harrington, from the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, called the results “incredibly encouraging.”
“To see this level of benefit for patients who have endured numerous treatments is remarkable,” he said. “Amivantamab not only blocks two key cancer pathways but also helps the immune system do its job. And because it’s given as an injection rather than an IV infusion, it’s faster, more convenient, and could even be delivered at home in the future.”
The Orig-AMI 4 trial, funded by Janssen, involved 86 patients across 11 countries, including the UK. On average, patients receiving amivantamab alone lived 6.8 months without disease progression.
Amivantamab targets cancer in three ways — by blocking EGFR and MET, two proteins that drive tumour growth and resistance, and by activating the immune system to attack cancer cells.
For patients like Carl Walsh, 59, from Birmingham, the treatment has been life-changing. Diagnosed with tongue cancer, Walsh joined the trial after other treatments failed.
“Before the trial, I couldn’t talk properly and eating was painful,” he said. “Now the swelling’s gone down a lot, and I sometimes forget I even have cancer.”
Doctors say the results mark a major step forward in treating one of the most difficult cancers and could pave the way for wider use of targeted injection therapies in oncology.
