New Cancer Injection Eliminated Tumors in Some Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: Breakthrough Trial Results (2026)

By Editorial Team

Key Takeaways

  • A new injectable cancer therapy called amivantamab produced complete tumour disappearance in some patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

  • The study involved patients whose cancer had already progressed despite chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

  • Fifteen patients experienced complete responses, meaning no detectable tumour remained on scans.

  • The treatment is administered as a simple injection rather than a lengthy intravenous infusion.

  • While promising, experts caution that larger trials are needed before the therapy becomes standard treatment.

A New Hope for Patients with Treatment-Resistant Cancer

A targeted cancer treatment given via a simple injection under the skin shrank tumours in more than one third of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer whose disease has stopped responding to standard treatments.

New results from phase Ib/II OrigAMI‑4 clinical trial, by scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, confirmed tumour shrinkage in 42 per cent of patients treated with the drug amivantamab, alongside encouraging survival outcomes in a group of patients who until now had very limited options. The results are based on blinded independent central review (BICR), where outcomes were checked by external experts who did not know which treatment each patient received, helping ensure the results are fair, unbiased, and reliable.

Targeted Therapy for Cancer

What Is Amivantamab?

Amivantamab is a bispecific antibody, a type of engineered protein designed to target two cancer-promoting pathways simultaneously.

Specifically, it targets:

  • Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)

  • Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition factor (MET)

Both pathways are commonly involved in cancer growth, survival, invasion, and treatment resistance.

Unlike conventional chemotherapy, which attacks rapidly dividing cells broadly, amivantamab is designed to selectively interfere with cancer-driving mechanisms while also helping the immune system recognize and destroy tumour cells.

The Clinical Trial: What Happened?

Researchers studied 102 patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

These patients represented a particularly difficult-to-treat group because:

  • Their cancer had already spread or returned.

  • Standard chemotherapy had failed.

  • Previous immunotherapy treatments had stopped working.

Results from the study were encouraging:

Complete Responses

  • 15 patients experienced complete disappearance of detectable tumours.

Partial Responses

  • An additional 28 patients saw significant tumour shrinkage.

Overall Response Rate

  • 43 out of 102 patients responded to treatment.

Survival Outcomes

  • Median overall survival was approximately 12.5 months.

For heavily pretreated patients with advanced disease, these outcomes are considered noteworthy.

Why Are Complete Responses So Important?

In oncology, a complete response means that imaging studies can no longer detect measurable cancer.

While this does not necessarily mean the patient is cured, it is one of the most favorable outcomes achievable in advanced cancer treatment.

Historically, complete responses have been relatively uncommon in metastatic head and neck cancer after standard therapies have failed.

The fact that multiple patients achieved this outcome suggests that the therapy may be capable of overcoming important resistance mechanisms that limit the effectiveness of existing treatments.

How Does the Injection Work?

Amivantamab appears to work through multiple mechanisms:

1. Blocks Cancer Growth Signals

Cancer cells often rely on EGFR and MET signaling pathways to survive and proliferate.

By targeting both pathways simultaneously, the drug reduces the tumour's ability to adapt and escape treatment.

2. Activates Immune Responses

The antibody can recruit immune cells to attack cancer cells more effectively.

3. Reduces Resistance

Many cancers develop resistance by switching between signaling pathways.

Dual targeting may help prevent this escape mechanism.

4. Improves Convenience

The treatment is administered as a subcutaneous injection, reducing treatment time compared with intravenous infusions.

Why Head and Neck Cancer Remains Challenging

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide each year.

Risk factors include:

  • Tobacco use

  • Alcohol consumption

  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection

  • Environmental exposures

Despite advances in surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, many patients eventually develop recurrent or metastatic disease.

Once standard therapies fail, treatment options become increasingly limited.

This is why new approaches such as amivantamab generate significant interest among oncologists.

Is This a Cure for Cancer?

No.

Although media headlines often use dramatic language, the current data do not demonstrate a cure.

Several important limitations remain:

  • The study was relatively small.

  • Longer follow-up is needed.

  • Some complete responders may eventually experience recurrence.

  • Larger randomized trials are required.

Cancer researchers frequently see promising early results that require confirmation before becoming standard medical practice.

Therefore, the findings should be viewed as highly encouraging rather than definitive.

How Does This Compare With Immunotherapy?

Checkpoint inhibitors such as:

  • Pembrolizumab

  • Nivolumab

have transformed treatment for many cancers.

However, not all patients respond, and many eventually develop resistance.

Amivantamab represents a different strategy by combining:

  • Targeted therapy

  • Immune activation

  • Resistance pathway inhibition

Future studies may explore whether combining these approaches could improve outcomes further.

The Future of Precision Oncology

The amivantamab trial highlights a broader trend in cancer research:

Modern cancer treatment is increasingly focused on understanding the specific biological vulnerabilities of individual tumours.

Emerging therapies are targeting:

  • EGFR signaling

  • MET signaling

  • KRAS mutations

  • HER2 alterations

  • Tumour metabolism

  • Immune evasion pathways

Rather than treating all cancers the same way, researchers are developing therapies tailored to each tumour's molecular profile.

This precision approach is expected to drive many of the next major breakthroughs in oncology.

What Patients Should Know

If you or a loved one has cancer, this study offers reason for optimism but not immediate changes to treatment decisions.

Patients should:

  • Discuss new therapies with their oncology team.

  • Ask whether molecular testing is appropriate.

  • Consider clinical trial opportunities when eligible.

  • Continue evidence-based treatment plans recommended by their physicians.

As larger studies are completed, researchers will gain a clearer understanding of which patients benefit most from amivantamab and similar next-generation targeted therapies.

‘I now feel able to live a normal life’

Carl Walsh, 56, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024 and joined the OrigAMI-4 trial at The Royal Marsden in July 2025.

“I was initially treated with both chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which unfortunately were not successful. At that point, I was recommended for the OrigAMI-4 trial. I’m now on my seventeenth cycle of treatment and I’m very pleased with the progress so far.

“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. Since beginning treatment, the swelling has reduced significantly, and my pain levels have improved considerably. I’m also no longer experiencing the same life-impacting side effects that I had during chemotherapy." (Institute of Cancer Research)

Conclusion

The latest trial of amivantamab provides one of the most encouraging developments in head and neck cancer treatment in recent years. Among patients whose cancers had already resisted chemotherapy and immunotherapy, some experienced complete disappearance of detectable tumours, highlighting the potential of next-generation targeted immunotherapies.

While it is too early to call this a cure, the findings reinforce a growing reality in oncology: understanding the molecular biology of cancer is leading to more precise, more effective, and potentially more durable treatments. For patients facing advanced cancer, these advances represent a meaningful step toward a future where even treatment-resistant tumours may become increasingly manageable.

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