A new cancer jab has eradicated tumours in 15 patients in a major international trial, offering hope to those with advanced head and neck cancer who have run out of treatment options.
Trial Results Show Unprecedented Response
The international trial, spanning 11 countries and involving 102 patients with head and neck cancer – the world’s sixth most common cancer – delivered what doctors have described as “unprecedented” results. All participants had cancers that had spread or returned and had failed to respond to standard treatments including chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Amivantamab, the injection developed by Johnson & Johnson, shrank tumours in over a third of patients: 43 out of 102 saw their tumours shrink or disappear entirely. Of these, 28 experienced significant shrinkage, and in 15 patients doctors found the drug had melted away their tumours completely. Dramatic changes were observed within weeks of starting treatment.
Patients receiving the jab lived for a median of 12.5 months after starting treatment – a notable improvement for a group whose cancers typically carry a very poor prognosis once standard treatments stop working. The trial specifically focused on patients with head and neck cancers not caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Because HPV-negative head and neck cancers are usually harder to treat, the progress seen in this group is considered particularly significant.
Professor Kevin Harrington, professor of biological cancer therapies at the Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR), and a consultant oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: “These are unprecedentedly strong responses in patients whose disease has become resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This is a group of patients for whom treatment options are extremely limited, so seeing this level of benefit is very striking.” He added that the treatment “has the potential to benefit many thousands of patients each year.”
Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of the ICR, said: “This study demonstrates how the development of new treatments through rigorous cancer research may lead to meaningful advances, even for patients with very limited treatment options. Achieving this level of tumour response and encouraging survival outcomes in such a challenging‑to‑treat group represents a significant step forward.”
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) in Chicago, the world’s largest cancer conference.
How the Triple-Action Jab Targets Cancer
Amivantamab is a bispecific antibody that attacks cancer cells in three distinct ways. First, it blocks the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein that fuels tumour growth. Second, it inhibits MET, a pathway that cancer cells often use to escape treatment. This dual blockade is crucial because resistance to existing therapies – such as EGFR inhibitors – frequently involves the MET pathway. Third, the drug helps activate the immune system to attack the tumour, providing a multi-pronged assault.
Researchers said the injection had shown similar results in patients with lung cancer. Amivantamab is now being evaluated in about 60 clinical trials, primarily for lung cancer but also for colorectal, brain and gastric cancers. It is already approved for use in combination with other agents for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations.
Patient Impact and Ongoing Research
One of the first patients to benefit from the OrigAMI-4 trial at the Royal Marsden was Carl Walsh, 56, from Birmingham. He was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024 and joined the trial in July 2025 after initial chemotherapy and immunotherapy failed. Now on his 17th cycle of treatment, he reports dramatic improvements in his quality of life.
“I was initially treated with both chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which unfortunately were not successful,” he said. “At that point, I was recommended for the OrigAMI-4 trial. I’m now on my 17th cycle of treatment and I’m very pleased with the progress so far.”
Before starting the jab, Walsh struggled to speak properly and found eating difficult because of swelling and pain. “When things were at their worst I was eating soup, rice pudding, tins of ravioli and spaghetti and many, many omelettes, all augmented by three prescribed nutritional milk drinks a day. I lost quite a bit of weight.” After only two cycles of treatment, his diet began to return to normal. “The thing I enjoyed most was the first big steak,” he said. His speech is now completely back to normal, and he speaks regularly on headsets at work without problems.
Unlike many conventional cancer treatments given via an intravenous drip, amivantamab is administered as a tiny injection under the skin every three weeks, making it quicker and more convenient for patients and easier to deliver in outpatient clinics.
Most side effects were mild to moderate. Fewer than one in ten patients were forced to stop treatment due to side effects. Commonly reported side effects include rash, nail toxicity, dry skin, muscle and joint pain, nausea, fatigue, and infusion-related reactions. More serious but less common side effects can include lung problems, severe skin reactions, and blood clots.
Amivantamab is also being tested in combination with other therapies. Clinical trials are exploring its use alongside drugs such as pembrolizumab and paclitaxel for head and neck cancers, as researchers seek to build on the encouraging results seen in this study.