A groundbreaking trial has found that a new “smart” injection can shrink head and neck cancer tumours within six weeks, offering fresh hope to patients whose disease has returned after standard treatments.
The drug, amivantamab, works as a triple-action therapy that blocks two key cancer pathways while also activating the immune system to attack tumours. It can be given as a simple injection under the skin rather than through lengthy intravenous infusions.
Researchers presented the results at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin. The study, part of the Orig-AMI 4 trial funded by Janssen, involved patients from 11 countries, including the UK, who had recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma — one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
Among 86 patients who had already undergone immunotherapy and chemotherapy, 76% saw their tumours shrink or stop growing, with responses typically seen within six weeks. The treatment was generally well tolerated, and side effects were mostly mild to moderate. Patients receiving amivantamab alone had an average progression-free survival of 6.8 months.
Prof Kevin Harrington, from the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, called the findings “incredibly encouraging.” He said: “To see this level of benefit for patients who have endured numerous treatments is remarkable. Amivantamab could represent a real shift — not only in effectiveness but in how we deliver care.”
Unlike traditional therapies that require hours in hospital, the new injection could eventually be administered in outpatient clinics or even at home.
One trial participant, 59-year-old Carl Walsh from Birmingham, said the treatment had dramatically improved his quality of life: “Before the trial, I couldn’t talk properly and eating was difficult, but the swelling has gone down a lot. Sometimes I even forget that I have cancer.”
