A new “smart jab” has shown remarkable success in shrinking head and neck cancer tumours within just six weeks, offering fresh hope to patients whose disease has returned after standard treatments.
The drug, amivantamab, works through a triple-action mechanism and can be administered as a simple injection under the skin — a faster, more convenient alternative to lengthy hospital infusions.
In a major clinical trial presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin, researchers found that 76% of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma saw their tumours shrink or stop growing after receiving the treatment. Most experienced mild to moderate side effects, and early results show an average progression-free survival of 6.8 months.
“This could represent a real shift in how we treat head and neck cancer,” said Prof Kevin Harrington of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. “Amivantamab not only blocks two key cancer pathways but also helps the immune system attack the tumour. To see this level of benefit in patients who have already had multiple treatments is incredibly encouraging.”
The Orig-AMI 4 trial, funded by Janssen, included patients from 11 countries, including the UK. Amivantamab targets the EGFR and MET pathways — both critical for cancer growth and resistance — while also stimulating immune responses against the tumour.
For patients like Carl Walsh, a 59-year-old from Birmingham with tongue cancer, the results have been life-changing. “Before starting the trial, I couldn’t talk properly and eating was difficult,” he said. “Now the swelling has gone down, I’m in less pain, and sometimes I even forget I have cancer.”
Experts say the findings could mark a major advance in both effectiveness and convenience, paving the way for more accessible cancer treatments that may one day be given in outpatient clinics — or even at home.
