This jab can melt away tumors in cancer patients
What's the story
A revolutionary cancer treatment, a triple-action jab called amivantamab, has shown unprecedented results in an international trial. The study spanned across 11 countries and involved patients whose cancer had spread or recurred and failed to respond to other treatments. The jab shrank tumors in over a third of the participants within weeks. In 15 cases, doctors found that it had completely melted away their tumors.
Treatment breakthrough
Treatment could help thousands of patients every year
Professor Kevin Harrington, a leading expert in biological cancer therapies at the Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR), hailed the results as "unprecedentedly strong responses." He stressed that these were seen in patients whose disease had become resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Harrington said this treatment could benefit thousands of patients every year. The results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.
Trial results
Similar results in lung cancer patients
The trial involved 102 patients with head and neck cancer, the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Out of these, tumors shrank or disappeared completely in 43 patients. This included 28 who saw a significant reduction in their tumors and 15 whose tumors were eradicated altogether. The jab also showed similar results in lung cancer patients. Developed by Johnson & Johnson, amivantamab is being tested in around 60 clinical trials for various cancers including colorectal, brain, and gastric cancers.
Treatment approach
Jab blocks proteins used by tumors to grow
Amivantamab works by blocking two proteins, EGFR and MET, which are often used by tumors to grow and escape treatment. It also helps activate the immune system against the tumor. Unlike many cancer treatments, amivantamab is administered as a small jab under the skin instead of an intravenous drip. This makes it easier for outpatient clinics to deliver treatment quickly and conveniently. Most side effects of this once-every-three-weeks treatment were mild to moderate.
Patient feedback
Patients lived for a median of 12.5 months after treatment
Patients who received amivantamab lived for a median of 12.5 months after starting treatment, despite having a form of cancer with very poor outcomes, once the standard treatments stop working. One such patient, Carl Walsh, 56, was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024 and joined the OrigAMI-4 trial at the Royal Marsden in July 2025. He said he had initially been treated with chemotherapy and immunotherapy but they were unsuccessful.