Drug Triggers Tumor Dissolution in Some Cancer Patients, Early Trial Shows

In a 102-patient study of head and neck cancer, Johnson & Johnson’s amivantamab produced meaningful tumor responses in about 43 participants: 28 tumors shrank significantly and 15 dissolved, often within a week. Those treated had a median survival of roughly one year, despite difficult prognoses. The drug works by blocking EGFR and MET pathways and activating the immune system, with around 60 trials across lung, colorectal, brain and gastric cancers ongoing to evaluate its efficacy elsewhere.