Research findings were presented on 31/5 in Chicago, during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's largest cancer conference. Medical professionals administered amivantamab to 102 patients with head and neck cancer. Among them, 43 individuals saw their tumors shrink or disappear.

Specifically, the drug completely eliminated cancer cells in 15 cases and significantly reduced tumor size in 28 others. This patient group achieved a median survival time of 12.5 months from the start of treatment. This outcome is significant, as these patients had a very poor prognosis and had previously failed both chemotherapy and immunotherapy, The Guardian reported on 30/5.

Carl Walsh, 56 years old, diagnosed with tongue cancer in 5/2024, participated in the OrigAMI-4 clinical trial at Royal Marsden Hospital in 7/2025. Photo: Supplied

Johnson & Johnson Corporation developed amivantamab as a subcutaneous injection, allowing doctors to administer it quickly in outpatient clinics, avoiding complex intravenous infusions. The drug employs a three-pronged mechanism: blocking the EGFR protein (which stimulates tumor growth), locking down MET (a bypass pathway cancer cells use to evade drugs), and activating the immune system to directly attack the disease. Doctors administer the drug every three weeks. Side effects were mild to moderate, with a patient withdrawal rate of less than 10%.

Scientists focused trials on patients with HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Medical experts consider this cancer type aggressive and difficult to treat. Currently, medical professionals are also conducting about 60 clinical trials of amivantamab globally to assess its effectiveness against lung, colorectal, brain, and stomach cancers.

Professor Kevin Harrington at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London assessed the drug's powerful tumor-killing efficacy as unprecedented in patient groups who had exhausted treatment options.

Concurring, ICR Chief Executive Kristian Helin affirmed that the injection represents a major advance for modern medicine, offering favorable survival rates for the most complex cases.

Carl Walsh, 56 years old, living in Birmingham, UK, is one of the first to benefit from this therapy. Doctors diagnosed him with tongue cancer in 5/2024. After chemotherapy and immunotherapy failed to yield results, he enrolled in the amivantamab trial in 7/2025.

To date, after 17 injection cycles, he has fully recovered his voice and can wear headphones to work normally. From experiencing severe weight loss and relying solely on soup and nutritional shakes due to extreme swelling and pain, the patient began eating normally after six months on the drug and fully enjoyed his favorite steak.

The timeline for completing clinical trials and bringing the drug to market is currently unknown.

Globally, clinical trials are considered the "gold standard" and a mandatory pathway for all new-generation cancer drugs to be approved for widespread use. For patients, particularly those with late-stage or drug-resistant cases, this offers a valuable opportunity to access breakthrough therapies like immunotherapy or targeted therapy years before they are widely commercialized. Participating in research also helps patients alleviate significant financial burdens, as all expensive medication costs and specialized gene testing are typically fully covered by sponsors.

However, the nature of trials is data collection, so participants face inherent risks of new toxicities not yet documented in medical literature or the possibility that the drug may not yield the expected treatment response. Furthermore, strict sampling and randomization processes can place patients in a control group receiving standard treatment rather than the new drug. They must also adhere to more intensive follow-up schedules and invasive tests than standard treatment. Therefore, this is considered a challenging medical decision, where individual survival opportunities exist alongside the mission of contributing crucial data to global oncology advancement.

Binh Minh (According to The Guardian)