Vaccine breakthrough as major trial shows ‘smart jab’ can slash spread of cancer linked to oral sex
Thousands of patients with cancers of the head and neck have been thrown a lifeline by a ‘smart jab’ that dramatically slows the spread of the disease.
The injection, called amivantamab, was found to shrink or halt tumours within just six weeks.
It is currently offered to some patients with an aggressive form of lung cancer but is not yet available on the NHS.
But experts now believe it could hold far wider promise.
Also known by the brand name Rybrevant, a groundbreaking trial found the drug kept patients with a difficult-to-treat aggressive form of head and neck cancer at bay for almost seven extra months compared to those not given the jab.
Researchers presenting the findings at the European Society of Medical Oncology in Berlin said the ‘smart’ drug was a ‘significant step forward’ and ‘could represent a real shift in how we treat head and neck cancer’.
Head and neck cancer is an umbrella term for cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, nose, sinuses and salivary glands.
Until recently, experts believed the main causes were lifestyle-related—particularly smoking and heavy drinking.
The injection, called amivantamab, was found to shrink or halt tumours within just six weeks. It is currently offered to some patients with an aggressive form of lung cancer but is not yet available on the NHS
In recent years, research has suggested that human papillomavirus (HPV) may be responsible for up to 70 per cent of head and neck cancers.
HPV is a common virus spread through close contact, including sex, and is usually harmless. However, in some cases—for reasons not fully understood—it can trigger cancerous changes in healthy tissue.
The virus is already known to cause cervical, anal and penile cancers.
A rise in head and neck cancers, particularly among younger and middle-aged patients, has been linked to oral sex.
The global trial was carried out across 11 countries and involved patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
This is an advanced form of the disease that has either returned after initial treatment or spread to distant organs.
Trial participants had all already received both immunotherapy and chemotherapy and 86 were then given amivantamab on its own.
The jab works three ways, firstly by blocking EGFR [Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor], a protein that helps tumours grow.
Then it blocks MET, a separate pathway that cancer cells often use to escape treatment.
It also works by helping the immune system recognise and fight the tumour.
Scientists found that more than three quarters of patients taking the smart jab experienced ‘clinical benefit’, meaning their cancer either shrank or stopped growing.
Such a response was typically seen within six weeks and side effects were mild or moderate.
The researchers also discovered that it took 6.8 months on average before the cancer progressed.
As of July 2025, 53 of the 86 patients in this cohort (62 per cent) were still receiving the new treatment.
One patient, Carl Walsh, joined the trial at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London, earlier this year.
The 59-year-old from Birmingham was diagnosed with tongue cancer in May 2024.
Head and neck cancers usually begin in the squamous cells which line the inside of the mouth and the throat and fall into one of two types – HPV-positive and HPV-negative
He said: ‘Chemotherapy was my first treatment option, but unfortunately, it wasn’t successful.
‘Then I tried immunotherapy, but that also didn’t work as well as hoped.
‘After that, they recommended I join the trial. I’m now on my 7th cycle of treatment, it’s working well so far and I’m very happy with the progress.
‘Before starting the trial, I couldn’t talk properly and eating was difficult but the swelling has gone down a lot, and I’m not in the same amount of pain I used to be in.
‘Sometimes I even forget that I have cancer. The only side effect I’ve experienced so far is minor skin issues, which is a big relief compared to the many side effects I had with chemotherapy.’
Professor Kevin Harrington, an expert in biological cancer therapies at The Institute of Cancer Research and a consultant oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘This is the first time we’ve tested this kind of triple-action therapy for head and neck cancer patients whose disease has returned after treatment.
‘Unlike many cancer treatments that require hours in a hospital chair, amivantamab is given as a simple injection under the skin.
‘This makes it faster, more convenient, and potentially easier to deliver in outpatient clinics — or even at home in the future.
The Royal Marsden in London (pictured) was one of the 55 sites across 11 countries that was involved in the ‘smart jab’ trial
‘To see this level of benefit for patients who have endured numerous treatments is incredibly encouraging.
‘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.’
Professor Clare Isacke, dean of academic and research affairs of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, added: ‘These results are a powerful reminder of the urgent need for more effective and accessible treatments for people living with head and neck cancer.
‘The promise shown by amivantamab — particularly its ability to deliver meaningful clinical benefit through a simple injection – represents a significant step forward.
Cancers that affect the head and neck are the eighth most common form of cancer overall in the UK, although they are two to three times more common in men than in women.
About 12,500 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to Cancer Research UK, and incidences are on the rise.
Nine in 10 head and neck cancers start in squamous cells, Macmillan Cancer Support says.
Squamous cells are flat, skin like cells that cover the lining of the mouth, nose, larynx, thyroid and throat.
