Smart jab can shrink head and neck cancer tumours within six weeks, trial finds | Cancer research
Doctors have praised “incredibly encouraging” trial results that showed three effective smart jabs could shrink tumors in head and neck cancer patients within six weeks.
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common form of the disease in the world. If it spreads or reoccurs after standard treatment, patients may be offered immunotherapy and platinum chemotherapy. But if that fails, there’s not much else doctors can do.
Studies have shown that the drug amivantamab, given by injection, can shrink tumors in patients with recurrent or metastatic cancer who have tried immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Details were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin.
Prof Kevin Harrington, professor of biological cancer therapies at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and consultant oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust, said: “It is incredibly encouraging to see this level of benefit for patients enduring multiple treatments.
“This could represent a real shift in how we treat head and neck cancer – not just in terms of effectiveness, but also in how we deliver care.”
He added: “This is the first time we have tested this type of triple action treatment for head and neck cancer patients whose disease has returned after treatment. “Amivantamab is a smart drug that not only blocks two key cancer pathways but also helps the immune system do its job.
“Unlike many cancer treatments that take hours in a hospital chair, amivantamab is given by a simple injection under the skin. This makes it quicker, more convenient and potentially easier to use in outpatient clinics or even at home in the future.”
Patients from 11 countries, including the UK, participated in the Orig-AMI 4 trial, funded by the pharmaceutical company Janssen. Each had recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); This is a difficult-to-treat form that often returns after standard treatments.
In the study, amivantamab was given to a group of 86 patients receiving immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Preliminary results showed that 76% of this group had their tumors shrink or stop growing.
Responses were seen within an average of six weeks and the treatment was generally well tolerated. Most side effects were mild to moderate. The median progression-free survival of patients receiving amivantamab alone was 6.8 months.
Amivantamab is a drug that targets cancer in three ways. It blocks both EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), a protein that helps tumors grow, and MET, a pathway cancer cells often use to evade treatment. It also helps activate the immune system to attack the tumor.
Carl Walsh had tongue cancer and joined the trial in July after chemotherapy and immunotherapy failed. “I’m currently on my seventh treatment cycle. It’s going well so far and I’m very pleased with the progress,” said the 59-year-old, who hails from Birmingham.
“Before I started trying it, I couldn’t talk properly and it was difficult to eat, but the swelling has reduced a lot and I don’t suffer as much anymore. Sometimes I even forget that I have cancer.”
