A new cancer jab that attacks tumours in three ways has shown 'unprecedented' results in an international trial, shrinking or eradicating tumours in patients with advanced disease. The drug, amivantamab, was given to 102 patients with head and neck cancer whose disease had become resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
In the trial, tumours shrank or disappeared completely in 43 patients, including 15 whose tumours were eliminated entirely. Doctors described the responses as 'unprecedentedly strong' for a group with very limited treatment options. The results are being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) conference in Chicago.
Amivantamab, developed by Johnson & Johnson, works by blocking two cancer growth pathways—EGFR and MET—and by activating the immune system. Unlike many cancer treatments, it is given as a small injection under the skin rather than via an intravenous drip, making it quicker and more convenient for patients.
One of the first patients to benefit was Carl Walsh, 56, from Birmingham, who was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024. After chemotherapy and immunotherapy failed, he joined the trial at the Royal Marsden Hospital. After 17 cycles of treatment, he reported significant improvements in speech and eating, and said he now feels able to live a normal life.
Most side-effects were mild to moderate, with fewer than one in 10 patients stopping treatment. Researchers noted that the trial focused on head and neck cancers not caused by HPV, which are typically harder to treat. Patients lived for a median of 12.5 months after starting treatment, despite having a form of cancer with very poor outcomes once standard treatments stop working.
Amivantamab is now being evaluated in about 60 clinical trials, primarily for lung cancer, but also for colorectal, brain and gastric cancers. Experts say the treatment has the potential to benefit many thousands of patients each year.
