Now I feel I can lead a normal life again.
15 patients achieved complete tumor remission; 43 of 102 saw tumor reduction or elimination in international trial of amivantamab. Drug works via three mechanisms: blocks EGFR protein, inhibits MET escape pathway, and activates immune system to attack tumors.
- 15 of 102 patients achieved complete tumor remission; 43 total saw tumor reduction or elimination
- Median survival of 12.5 months from treatment start in patients with treatment-resistant disease
- Drug administered as subcutaneous injection every three weeks with mild to moderate side effects
- International trial across 11 countries; results presented May 31, 2026 at American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting
Amivantamab, an experimental therapy, completely eliminated tumors in 15 of 102 patients with treatment-resistant head and neck cancer, offering hope for patients who failed chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
At the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago on May 31st, researchers presented results that caught the attention of oncologists worldwide: an experimental drug called amivantamab had completely erased tumors in 15 patients whose head and neck cancers had stopped responding to every standard treatment available. These were not easy cases. These were people whose disease had already defeated chemotherapy and immunotherapy—the two pillars of cancer care. Yet in this international trial spanning 11 countries, the drug worked where nothing else had.
The trial enrolled 102 patients with advanced or recurrent head and neck cancers, the sixth most common cancer globally. Among them, 43 saw their tumors shrink or disappear entirely: 28 experienced partial reduction, and 15 achieved complete remission. Those numbers matter because they represent a population with almost nowhere left to turn. Kevin Harrington, a cancer biologist at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, called the results "unprecedented in strength" for patients whose disease had become resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He emphasized that for this group, treatment options are "extremely limited," making even modest progress significant. But this was more than modest. Harrington suggested the drug could eventually benefit thousands of patients annually.
Amivantamab works through three distinct mechanisms. It blocks EGFR, a protein that fuels tumor growth. It inhibits MET, a pathway cancer cells exploit to escape treatment. And it activates the immune system itself to attack the tumor. The drug is administered as a simple subcutaneous injection every three weeks—not through an intravenous drip that requires hours in a hospital chair. Most side effects were mild to moderate, and fewer than one in ten patients had to stop treatment. The median survival from the start of treatment was 12.5 months, a meaningful extension for patients with a disease that typically offers little hope once standard therapies fail.
Carl Walsh, 56, was one of the trial's early beneficiaries. Diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024, he underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, but neither worked. He was enrolled in the OrigAMI-4 trial in July 2025. By the time he spoke about his experience, he was on his 17th treatment cycle and described a transformation. Before the drug, he struggled to speak clearly and eating was painful due to swelling. Within two cycles, the swelling began to recede. After six months, his diet had returned to normal—he could eat solid foods again, including the steak he described savoring with particular pleasure. His speech normalized completely. At work, he could wear headphones and speak without difficulty. The physical constraints that had dominated his life began to lift.
Walsh's experience captures what the numbers alone cannot convey: the restoration of ordinary life. During his worst period, he survived on soup, rice pudding, canned pasta, and three prescribed nutritional drinks daily, losing significant weight. The drug did not just extend his survival; it returned him to himself. Kristian Helin, executive director of the Institute of Cancer Research, framed the finding as validation of rigorous cancer research—the kind that can produce meaningful breakthroughs even for patients with the fewest options remaining.
Amivantamab is now being evaluated in approximately 60 clinical trials worldwide, primarily for lung cancer but also for colorectal, brain, and gastric cancers. The drug was developed by Johnson & Johnson. The head and neck cancer trial specifically excluded cases of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma caused by human papillomavirus, a distinction researchers emphasized because non-HPV-related head and neck tumors are typically harder to treat. The results were published simultaneously in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the same venue where they were presented. For patients and their families facing a diagnosis that has already exhausted the standard arsenal, amivantamab represents something that had seemed impossible: a second chance.
Citações Notáveis
These are responses of unprecedented strength in patients whose disease has become resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy.— Kevin Harrington, cancer biologist at the Institute of Cancer Research in London
Now I feel I can lead a normal life. Before the treatment, I struggled to speak and eat due to swelling and pain. After six months, my diet returned to normal and my speech completely normalized.— Carl Walsh, 56, trial participant with tongue cancer
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that this drug works in patients who've already failed chemotherapy and immunotherapy?
Because those patients are essentially out of options. Once standard treatments stop working, survival is measured in months, not years. A drug that works there isn't just incremental progress—it's a lifeline for people who thought they had none.
The numbers show 15 complete remissions out of 102. That's roughly 15 percent. Is that considered successful?
In this context, yes. For treatment-resistant cancers, any meaningful response is rare. But the real story is that 43 of 102 saw their tumors shrink or disappear. The complete remissions are the headline, but the partial responses matter too—they buy time, reduce suffering, restore function.
You mentioned Carl Walsh's experience with eating and speaking. Why is that clinically important?
Because cancer and its treatments don't just shorten life—they steal quality of life. If swelling and pain make eating impossible, if speech becomes difficult, the patient is isolated even while alive. When those symptoms reverse, the person gets their life back, not just their survival.
The drug is administered as a simple injection every three weeks, not intravenous infusion. Does that change how patients experience treatment?
Dramatically. An IV infusion can take hours and requires a hospital visit. A subcutaneous injection is quick, can be done in an outpatient clinic, and lets patients maintain their routine. For someone already exhausted by illness, that difference is enormous.
What's the mechanism—how does amivantamab actually kill the cancer?
It attacks from three angles simultaneously. It blocks a growth protein, it cuts off an escape route cancer cells use, and it wakes up the immune system to do the fighting. It's not one hammer; it's three different tools working at once.
The drug is being tested in 60 trials for other cancers. What does that suggest?
That researchers see potential far beyond head and neck cancer. Lung, colorectal, brain, gastric—if it works across that many cancer types, it suggests the mechanism is broadly applicable. That's how a single discovery becomes a platform that helps thousands.