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Abadia Fall 2025 at Riyadh Fashion Week – WWD
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Smart jab can shrink head and neck cancer tumours within six weeks, trial finds | Cancer research
Doctors have hailed “incredibly encouraging” trial results that show a triple-action smart jab can shrink tumours in head and neck cancer patients within six weeks.
Head and neck cancer is the world’s sixth most common form of the disease. If it spreads or comes back after standard treatment, patients may be offered immunotherapy and platinum chemotherapy. But if this fails, there is often little else doctors can do.
Research showed a drug called amivantamab, given as an injection, can shrink tumours in patients with recurrent or metastatic cancer who had tried immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Details were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin.
Prof Kevin Harrington, a professor of biological cancer therapies at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and consultant oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust, said: “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.”
He added: “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. Amivantamab is a smart drug that not only blocks two key cancer pathways but also helps the immune system do its job.
“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 Orig-AMI 4 trial, funded by the pharmaceuticals company Janssen, involved patients from 11 countries, including the UK. Each had recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) – a hard-to-treat form that often returns after standard therapies.
One group of 86 patients in the study, who had received immunotherapy and chemotherapy, were given amivantamab. Early results show 76% of this group saw their tumours shrink or stop growing.
Responses were seen within six weeks on average and treatment was generally well tolerated. Most side-effects were mild to moderate. Average progression-free survival of patients receiving amivantamab on its own was 6.8 months.
Amivantamab is a drug that targets cancer in three ways. It blocks both EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), a protein that helps tumours grow, and MET, a pathway that cancer cells often use to escape treatment. It also helps activate the immune system to attack the tumour.
Carl Walsh has tongue cancer and joined the trial in July after chemotherapy and immunotherapy failed. “I’m now on my seventh cycle of treatment. It’s working well so far and I’m very happy with the progress,” the 59-year-old from Birmingham said.
“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.”
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Leem Fall 2025 at Riyadh Fashion Week [PHOTOS] – WWD
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Formula 1 announces extension of the United States Grand Prix through 2034
Formula 1 has announced that the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, is set to remain on the calendar until the 2034 season inclusive. The new deal secures the long-term future of the event as Formula…
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Your cheese may contain thousands of microplastic particles
Milk has around 350 particles per kilogram, while cheese contains at least 1,000 per kilogram. PET, polyethene and polypropylene are the common plastics, which are generally found in packaging, which could be the reason behind contamination. But…
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Interior Minister briefs PM on country's law and order situation – RADIO PAKISTAN
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212Pb-DOTAMTATE Shows Impressive Antitumor Activity in Previously Treated GEP-NETS | Targeted Oncology
212Pb-DOTAMTATE (AlphaMedix) showed clinically meaningful antitumor activity with sustained and durable responses along with a manageable safety profile in patients with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT)-exposed, somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-positive, unresectable or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), according to results from the ALPHAMEDIX-02 trial (NCT05153772).1
Per investigator review, the objective response rate (ORR) was 34.6% (9/26 patients), consisting of all partial responses. None of the responders had progressed at the time of the data cutoff. Sixteen patients (61.5%) had stable disease for a disease control rate of 96.2% (95% CI, 80.4%-99.9%). There was 1 patient with progressive disease. The ORR per blinded independent central review was 19.2% and the disease control rate was 100%.
The investigator-assessed 18-month progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 82.6% (59.0-93.3) and 85.1% (58.5%-95.2%), respectively. The PFS per BICR was 88.0% (95% CI, 67.3%-96.0%).
212Pb-DOTAMTATE was determined by investigators to have an acceptable side effect profile, with the majority of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) being grade 1 or 2.
“The pivotal phase 2 ALPHAMEDIX-02 study presents a favorable benefit/risk profile of 212Pb-based targeted alpha therapy in radioligand therapy (RLT)-exposed patients with advanced GEP-NETS where few effective treatment options are available,” said lead study author Jonathan Strosberg, MD,a professor and leader of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Division and the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology Research Program at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Study Design and Rationale of ALPHAMEDIX-02
“Effective treatment options are limited for patients with GEP-NETs whose disease progresses after PRRT with beta-emitting 177Lu-labelled somatostatin analogs (SSA),” said Strosberg.
Accordingly, Strosberg et al explored the next-generation SSTR-targeted RLT 212Pb-DOTAMTATE in this patient population. 212Pb-DOTAMTATE “utilizes the high-energy and shorter-range alpha emission, which leads to highly effective dsDNA breakage and may result in more targeted oncologic effects,” explained Strosberg.
Overall, the open-label, multicenter, phase 2 ALPHAMEDIX-02 study explored 212Pb-DOTAMTATE in patients with both PRRT-naïve (cohort 1) and PRRT-exposed (cohort 2) metastatic GEP-NETs that was histologically confirmed, had positive SSA imaging, and had at least 1 site of measurable disease.
Previously reported data for cohort 1 showed that 212Pb-DOTAMTATE achieved an ORR of 54.3% and a manageable safety profile in PRRT-naïve patients. Results for PRRT-exposed patients (cohort 2) were shared by Strosberg at ESMO.
Cohort 2 comprised 26 PRRT-exposed patients who had progressive disease following treated with up to 4 doses of 177Lu-SSA. Patients had received their last 177Lu-SSA dose at least 6 months before the trial. All patients received 212Pb-DOTAMTATE at 67.6 μCi/kg every 8 weeks for up to 4 cycles. The primary end point was ORR (RECIST1.1) and safety. Secondary outcome measures included progression free survival and overall survival.
What Was the Safety Profile of 212Pb-DOTAMTATE in AMEDIX-02
“212Pb-DOTAMTATE demonstrated an acceptable side effect profile, where most (57.7%) treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were grade 1 or 2, allowing the majority (84.6%) of patients to complete all 4 doses and 0 TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation,” said Strosberg.
The most common grade 1/2 TEAEs were alopecia (84.6%), fatigue (76.9%), nausea (69.2%), diarrhea (38.5%), dysphagia (34.6%), vomiting (30.8%), decreased appetite (30.8%), abdominal pain (26.9%), and lymphopenia (23.1%).
Eleven patients (42.3%) experienced grade ≥3 TEAEs. These included lymphopenia (n = 4), dysphagia (n = 3), vomiting (n = 2), deceased appetite (n = 1), and fatigue (n = 1). Five patients had treatment-emergent serious adverse events and there were no TEAE-related patient deaths.
Specifically focusing on dysphagia, Strosberg explained that the condition emerged as a chronic toxicity which was “kind of a surprising side effect––it’s not something that we anticipated when we started this trial.” He added, “Manometry may demonstrate esophageal dysmotility in patients with dysphagia. Botox injection to the lower esophageal sphincter provides relief in many cases and some patients have required minimally-invasive surgery.”
What Were Patient Characteristics in AMEDIX-02?
The mean patient age was 61.8 years and the median time since diagnosis was 7.2 years (range, 2.8-18.8). Over three-fourths of patients had grade 1 or 2 disease. The primary tumor sites were the pancreas and small intestine at 11 patients each. All patients had prior RLT, 96.2% had prior SSAs, and 88.5% had surgical resection prior to enrollment. Further, 15 patients had received chemotherapy, 15 had received TKIs, 7 had embolization, and 5 had received EBRT.
What Are the Next Steps for 212Pb-DOTAMTATE?
In a press release reporting these results, Christopher Corsico, MD, Global Head of Development at Sanofi, which codevelops 212Pb-DOTAMTATE with Orano Med, stated, “The promising ALPHAMEDIX-02 results represent a significant step forward, reinforcing the potential of targeted alpha therapy to deliver precise treatment for GEP-NETs.”2
Corsico added, “These data, demonstrating clinically meaningful activity and a manageable safety profile, underscore our unrelenting commitment to developing innovative therapies for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers. We look forward to advancing [212Pb-DOTAMTATE] and working with Orano Med and regulators to bring this important treatment to the GEP-NET community as soon as possible.”
References
- Strosberg JR, Naqvi S, Cohn A, et al. Efficacy and safety of targeted alpha therapy 212Pb-DOTAMTATE in patients with unresectable or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) previously treated with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT): Results of a phase II study. Presented at: 2025 ESMO Congress; October 17-21, 2025; Berlin, Germany. Abstract 1032O.
- AlphaMedixTM (212Pb-DOTAMTATE) achieved all primary efficacy endpoints in phase 2 study, demonstrating clinically meaningful benefits in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Posted online October 8, 2025. Accessed October 19, 2025. https://www.sanofi.com/en/media-room/press-releases/2025/2025-10-08-05-00-00-3163053
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Scientists watch humans’ most active “parasite gene” cutting DNA
Scientists have finally documented a notorious DNA hitchhiker at work in human cells. The team shows how a protein called ORF2p slices DNA at small openings that form during DNA replication.
During this process, a cell makes an identical copy of…
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What are the tactical options for the United States Grand Prix?
Saturday was a red-letter day for Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen with a Sprint victory and a seemingly-comfortable three-tenths advantage in Qualifying.
Looking at the raw numbers, the Dutchman, with his shadow increasingly looming over the…
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