A new “smart” cancer treatment has shown remarkable results in shrinking head and neck tumours within just six weeks, offering new hope for patients with advanced disease.
The drug, amivantamab, works through a triple-action mechanism and can be administered as a simple injection rather than lengthy infusions. It was tested in patients whose cancers had returned or spread after both immunotherapy and chemotherapy — a group with few remaining treatment options.
Findings from the Orig-AMI 4 trial, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin, revealed that 76% of patients treated with amivantamab saw their tumours shrink or stop growing, with responses appearing on average within six weeks. Side effects were generally mild to moderate, and the average progression-free survival was 6.8 months.
Professor Kevin Harrington of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust described the results as “incredibly encouraging.” He said:
“This could represent a real shift in how we treat head and neck cancer – not just in terms of effectiveness, but also in how we deliver care.”
Amivantamab targets two key tumour growth pathways, EGFR and MET, while also stimulating the immune system to attack cancer cells. Unlike conventional chemotherapy, the treatment is delivered under the skin, potentially allowing it to be administered in outpatient clinics or even at home.
One UK patient, Carl Walsh, 59, from Birmingham, said the treatment had transformed his quality of life:
“Before the trial, I couldn’t talk properly and eating was difficult. Now the swelling has gone down a lot, and I’m not in the same amount of pain. Sometimes I even forget that I have cancer.”
Researchers say the results could pave the way for a new generation of convenient, highly targeted cancer therapies.
