A new “smart jab” has shown remarkable results in shrinking head and neck cancer tumours within six weeks, offering new hope for patients with hard-to-treat cases.
The drug, amivantamab, is a triple-action therapy delivered as a simple injection under the skin. It targets two key cancer pathways while also helping the immune system attack tumours. Early trial results suggest it could transform treatment for patients whose cancer has returned or spread after chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
The findings, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin, showed that 76% of patients in the trial saw their tumours shrink or stop growing. On average, this improvement appeared within six weeks, with the treatment generally well tolerated and most side effects mild to moderate.
“This could represent a real shift in how we treat head and neck cancer – not just in terms of effectiveness, but also in how we deliver care,” said Prof Kevin Harrington of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. “Unlike many cancer treatments that require hours in a hospital chair, amivantamab is a quick injection that could one day be given even at home.”
The international Orig-AMI 4 trial, funded by Janssen, included 86 patients from 11 countries with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The average progression-free survival was 6.8 months — a significant advance for patients who had exhausted other treatment options.
Amivantamab works by blocking both EGFR and MET, two key drivers of tumour growth and resistance, while boosting immune activity against cancer cells.
For patients like Carl Walsh, 59, from Birmingham, the effects have been life-changing. “Before starting the trial, I couldn’t talk properly or eat comfortably,” he said. “Now the swelling has gone down a lot, and I’m not in the same pain I used to be. Sometimes I even forget I have cancer.”
