"Unprecedentedly strong" responses observed in patients resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
A New Hope for Hard-to-Treat Head and Neck Cancer
London / Chicago — An international clinical trial has delivered promising results for patients with advanced head and neck cancer, demonstrating powerful tumor shrinkage with a novel drug.
Key Findings from the Trial
- Strong Response Rate: In a study spanning 11 countries, 102 patients whose cancer had spread, returned, or failed other treatments received the drug amivantamab.
- Significant Tumor Reduction: Tumors shrank or disappeared completely in 43 patients. Of these, 28 experienced significant shrinkage, while 15 had complete eradication of their cancer.
- Extended Survival: Patients lived a median of 12.5 months overall after starting treatment.
- Manageable Side Effects: The drug is administered as a subcutaneous injection every three weeks. Most side effects were mild to moderate, with fewer than 10% of patients stopping treatment.
A Targeted Approach
Developed by Johnson & Johnson, amivantamab works by targeting the EGFR and MET pathways—key drivers in many cancers—and also activates the immune system. The trial specifically excluded patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, focusing on a harder-to-treat subgroup.
"The tumor response and survival outcomes represent a significant step forward for this challenging group of patients."
— Kristian Helin, CEO of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
Expert Commentary
Kevin Harrington, professor at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and consultant oncologist at Royal Marsden NHS trust, described the responses as "unprecedentedly strong" in patients who had already failed to respond to chemotherapy and immunotherapy, adding that the drug has the potential to benefit thousands of patients annually.
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Broader Potential
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Beyond this trial, amivantamab is now being evaluated in approximately 60 clinical trials for other difficult-to-treat cancers, including lung, colorectal, brain, and gastric cancers.