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A groundbreaking new cancer treatment is giving fresh hope to patients battling advanced head and neck cancers. Researchers have found that a “smart jab” called amivantamab can shrink tumours within just six weeks. The results, revealed at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin, are being called “incredibly encouraging” by oncologists.
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. For many patients, once standard therapies fail, few effective options remain. Amivantamab may finally change that. The drug, delivered as a simple injection, works in three powerful ways. It blocks EGFR and MET pathways, both key drivers of cancer growth, and helps the immune system attack the tumour directly.
Unlike traditional chemotherapy, this treatment does not require long hospital hours. Doctors can administer it quickly under the skin, making it faster, easier, and more convenient. Experts believe it could even be given at home in the future.
In the Orig-AMI 4 trial, 86 patients from 11 countries received amivantamab after previous treatments failed. Remarkably, 76% saw their tumours shrink or stop growing. Side effects were generally mild, and patients lived an average of 6.8 months without disease progression.
For many, the results are life-changing. Carl Walsh, a 59-year-old from Birmingham, joined the trial after other treatments failed. “The swelling has gone down a lot,” he said. “I’m not in as much pain, and sometimes I even forget I have cancer.”
Doctors believe amivantamab could mark a major shift in cancer care—offering both hope and convenience to patients who desperately need new options.
