Triple-action cancer injection eradicates tumours in 15 patients with treatment-resistant head and neck cancer in 'unprecedented' trial

An international clinical trial spanning 11 countries has produced what doctors are calling 'unprecedented' results for patients with advanced head and neck cancer who had stopped responding to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The drug, amivantamab, was administered as a simple subcutaneous injection to 102 patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Striking tumour responses

Tumours shrank or disappeared completely in 43 of the 102 participants. In 15 cases, doctors reported that the injection had eradicated the tumours entirely, while 28 patients saw a significant reduction in tumour size. The responses were observed within weeks of starting treatment.

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.

How the triple-action drug works

Amivantamab attacks cancer through three distinct mechanisms. It blocks the EGFR receptor, a protein that helps tumours grow; it inhibits the MET pathway, which cancer cells often use to evade treatment; and it helps activate the immune system to attack the tumour. The drug is given as a small injection under the skin every three weeks, rather than intravenously, making it faster and more convenient for patients and easier to administer in outpatient clinics.

Patient experience and survival

Patients receiving amivantamab lived for a median of 12.5 months after starting treatment, despite having a cancer type with very poor outcomes once standard therapies fail. Tumours began to respond within about six weeks, and patients had a median of just over six-and-a-half months before the cancer started growing again. Most side effects were mild to moderate, and fewer than one in ten patients had to stop treatment.

I now feel able to live a normal life. Before starting the trial, I struggled to speak properly and found eating difficult because of the swelling and pain.

Carl Walsh, 56, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024 and joined the study at The Royal Marsden in July 2025 after chemotherapy and immunotherapy were both unsuccessful. During his 17th treatment cycle, he reported being very pleased with his progress.

Broader potential and next steps

Developed by Johnson & Johnson, amivantamab is currently being evaluated in approximately 60 clinical trials for various cancer types, including lung, colorectal, brain, and gastric cancers. Researchers have already observed similar results in patients with certain types of lung cancer. The OrigAMI-4 trial results are being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, the world's largest cancer conference.