A new “smart” injection has shown remarkable results in shrinking head and neck cancer tumours within six weeks, offering fresh hope for patients with advanced disease.
The treatment uses amivantamab, a triple-action drug that can be delivered by a simple under-the-skin injection. Results from the Orig-AMI 4 trial, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin, revealed that the therapy stopped tumour growth or reduced tumour size in 76% of patients who had already undergone chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Head and neck cancer is the world’s sixth most common cancer, and when it returns or spreads after standard treatments, options are limited. Amivantamab targets the disease in three ways — blocking two key growth pathways, EGFR and MET, while also helping the immune system attack the tumour.
Prof Kevin Harrington of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust called the results “incredibly encouraging.” He said, “This could represent a real shift in how we treat head and neck cancer — not just in effectiveness, but also in how we deliver care. Instead of hours in a hospital chair, this is a quick injection that could one day even be given at home.”
The trial, funded by Janssen, involved 86 patients across 11 countries, including the UK. Tumour responses appeared on average within six weeks, and most side effects were mild to moderate. The treatment achieved an average progression-free survival of 6.8 months.
One participant, Carl Walsh, a 59-year-old from Birmingham with tongue cancer, said his symptoms had significantly improved: “Before the trial, I couldn’t talk properly and eating was difficult. The swelling has gone down a lot, and sometimes I even forget that I have cancer.”
Researchers say the findings mark a major step toward more effective and convenient cancer care for patients with few remaining options.
