A groundbreaking cancer jab has eradicated tumours in 15 patients during a trial, with doctors describing the results as 'unprecedented'. The injection, amivantamab, shrank tumours in more than a third of patients, with some seeing complete disappearance within weeks.
The international trial, spanning 11 countries, involved 102 patients with head and neck cancer whose disease had become resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Tumours shrank or vanished in 43 patients, including 28 with significant shrinkage and 15 with complete eradication.
Kevin Harrington, professor of biological cancer therapies at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: 'These are unprecedentedly strong responses in patients whose disease has become resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This is a group of patients for whom treatment options are extremely limited, so seeing this level of benefit is very striking.'
The jab, developed by Johnson & Johnson, targets cancer in three ways: blocking the EGFR protein that helps tumours grow, blocking the MET pathway cancer cells use to escape treatment, and activating the immune system. It is given as a tiny injection under the skin every three weeks, making it quicker and more convenient than intravenous drips.
One patient, Carl Walsh, 56, from Birmingham, joined the trial after standard treatments failed. He said: 'After only two cycles of the treatment my diet started to return to normal. The thing I enjoyed most was the first big steak. My speech is completely back to normal.'
The results will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. Researchers noted the drug is also being evaluated in about 60 trials for lung, colorectal, brain and gastric cancers, with potential to benefit thousands of patients annually.
