Doctors have described the results of a clinical trial for a new triple-action cancer injection as “unprecedented” after it reportedly led to the complete disappearance of tumours in patients with advanced cancer. The international study was carried out across 11 countries and involved patients whose cancer had spread or relapsed, and no longer responded to existing treatments.
The drug, named amivantamab, caused tumours to shrink in more than a third of participants, with impressive results recorded within the first few weeks. In 15 patients, the tumours disappeared completely.
Professor of Biological Cancer Therapies at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, Kevin Harrington, said:
“These are unprecedentedly strong responses in patients whose disease had become resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This is a category of patients with extremely limited treatment options, so the level of benefit we are seeing is truly impressive.”
Harrington, who is also a consultant oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, added that the treatment “has the potential to benefit many thousands of patients every year.” The results were presented in Chicago at the annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the largest international event in the field of cancer.
The study involved 102 patients with head and neck cancer, the sixth most common cancer globally. Tumours shrank or disappeared in 43 patients. Out of these, 28 showed a significant reduction in tumour size, while 15 achieved complete disappearance of the disease.
Researchers said that similar results have already been observed in lung cancer patients. Amivantamab, developed by Johnson & Johnson, is currently being evaluated in around 60 clinical trials for various types of cancer, including lung, colorectal, brain, and stomach cancers.
The treatment works through three different mechanisms. It blocks the EGFR receptor, a protein that promotes tumour growth, interrupts the MET biological pathway that cancer cells often use to escape treatments, and simultaneously activates the immune system to attack the tumour.
One of the first patients to benefit was 56-year-old Karl Walsh, who was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024 and joined the OrigAMI-4 study in July 2025.
“Initially I underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but unfortunately without success,” he said. “I was then offered participation in the study. I am now in my 17th cycle of treatment and I am very satisfied with my progress.”
Unlike many cancer treatments administered intravenously, amivantamab is given via a short subcutaneous injection, making the process faster, more comfortable for patients, and easier for outpatient clinics. Most side effects were mild to moderate, while less than 10% of patients had to discontinue treatment.
Walsh said that he has now returned to a normal daily life. Before the treatment, he struggled to speak and eat due to pain and swelling. After starting the therapy, the swelling and pain decreased significantly, while the severe side effects of chemotherapy subsided.
Researchers also stressed that the study focused on patients with head and neck cancers not related to the HPV virus, a category that is typically harder to treat. Patients who received amivantamab lived for an average of 12.5 months after starting treatment, despite suffering from a highly aggressive form of cancer with a poor prognosis when conventional therapies fail.
Professor Kristian Helin, Chief Executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, said:
“The study proves that developing new treatments through rigorous scientific research can lead to meaningful advances even for patients with minimal treatment options. Achieving this level of tumour response and the encouraging survival results in such a challenging category of patients represent a significant step forward.”