A Birmingham cancer survivor has shared how a new injection transformed his life after his tumours vanished during a clinical trial. Carl Walsh, 56, from Birmingham, was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024 and joined the study at The Royal Marsden in July 2025 after chemotherapy and immunotherapy failed.
The drug, amivantamab, is given as a small injection rather than an intravenous drip, which is typical for most cancer treatments. It targets EGFR and MET signals, helping the immune system attack tumours. In the international study led by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, tumours shrank in 42% of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer that had stopped responding to standard treatments.
Carl Walsh said during his 17th treatment cycle: "I now feel able to live a normal life. Before starting the trial, I struggled to speak properly and found eating difficult because of the swelling and pain. Since beginning treatment, the swelling has reduced significantly, and my pain levels have improved considerably. I'm also no longer experiencing the same life-impacting side effects that I had during chemotherapy."
Professor Kevin Harrington, professor in biological cancer therapies at the ICR and consultant oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, 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."
He added: "This treatment has the potential to benefit many thousands of patients each year."
Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with around 12,800 people diagnosed in the UK annually. The OrigAMI-4 trial phase examined 102 individuals with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) whose disease had progressed despite immunotherapy and platinum-based chemotherapy. Participants came from 55 hospitals across 11 countries and received only amivantamab, developed by Johnson & Johnson.
Tumours reduced in size in 43 participants: 15 experienced complete disappearance, and 28 saw substantial shrinkage. Those on amivantamab survived a median of 12.5 months after starting treatment, despite having a cancer type with "very poor outcomes" once conventional treatments stop working. Tumours began responding within about six weeks, and participants had a median of just over six and a half months before cancer growth resumed.
Amivantamab is a bispecific monoclonal antibody that blocks two signals: EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor), a protein that fuels tumour growth, and MET, a pathway cancer cells use to evade treatment. It also helps activate the immune system against the tumour. The injectable format is quicker and easier to administer in outpatient clinics. It is given every three weeks, and side effects were mild to moderate; fewer than 10 patients stopped treatment due to adverse effects.
Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of the ICR, said: "This study demonstrates how the development of new treatments through rigorous cancer research may lead to meaningful advances, even for patients with very limited treatment options. Achieving this level of tumour response and encouraging survival outcomes in such a challenging to treat group represents a significant step forward."
Amivantamab is already approved for multiple subtypes of lung cancer. The research excluded patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, as head and neck cancers not triggered by HPV are typically harder to treat and respond less to standard therapy. The ICR stated: "Making progress in this group is particularly important." The study is being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology on Sunday.
