More than one-third responded positively, with tumors shrinking or vanishing entirely.
Em Portugal, onde o cancro da cabeça e pescoço afeta cerca de três mil pessoas por ano, cinco hospitais vão começar a recrutar doentes para um ensaio clínico de uma imunoterapia experimental chamada amivantamab. Desenvolvida pela Johnson & Johnson, a substância não combate o tumor com veneno, mas com persuasão — ensinando o sistema imunitário a reconhecer e atacar as células cancerígenas. Os primeiros resultados, apresentados a oncologistas de todo o mundo, sugerem que esta abordagem pode abrir uma porta para doentes cujas opções já se esgotaram.
- Para doentes com cancro recorrente ou metastático da cabeça e pescoço, as opções de tratamento são escassas e o prognóstico é frequentemente sombrio.
- Os dados iniciais criaram expectativa real: 28 em 102 doentes viram os tumores reduzir, e 15 alcançaram uma resposta completa — sem sinais detetáveis de doença.
- A imunoterapia injetada diretamente no tumor representa uma mudança de paradigma, evitando os efeitos sistémicos da quimioterapia tradicional.
- Cinco hospitais portugueses — em Gaia-Espinho, Porto, Lisboa e Portimão — começam já este mês a recrutar doentes, com meta de 500 participantes até meados de 2029.
- O ensaio não promete uma cura, mas promete dados: se funcionar, Portugal terá contribuído para um novo padrão de tratamento; se não, o conhecimento gerado orientará a próxima tentativa.
Portugal vai integrar um ensaio clínico internacional para testar o amivantamab, uma imunoterapia experimental da Johnson & Johnson dirigida ao cancro da cabeça e pescoço nas suas formas mais difíceis de tratar — recorrente e metastático. Cinco hospitais, distribuídos por Gaia-Espinho, Porto, Lisboa e Portimão, começam a recrutar doentes este mês, com o objetivo de alcançar 500 participantes de vários países até meados de 2029.
O que distingue este fármaco é o seu mecanismo: em vez de atacar as células indiscriminadamente, o amivantamab é injetado diretamente no tumor e estimula o sistema imunitário a reconhecer as células cancerígenas como ameaças a eliminar. Os resultados preliminares, apresentados na reunião anual da Sociedade Americana de Oncologia Clínica, mostraram que mais de um terço dos 102 doentes testados respondeu positivamente — 28 com redução tumoral e 15 com resposta completa, sem sinais detetáveis de doença.
Em Portugal, o cancro da cabeça e pescoço representa cerca de três mil novos diagnósticos por ano, associado sobretudo ao tabaco e ao consumo excessivo de álcool. Quando regressa ou se alastra, as opções terapêuticas tornam-se limitadas: a quimioterapia perde eficácia, a radioterapia tem fronteiras, e o sistema imunitário, já fragilizado por tratamentos anteriores, dificilmente consegue responder.
O primeiro doente português será inscrito no Hospital CUF Descobertas ainda este mês. Nos próximos três anos, os dados recolhidos dirão se o que os primeiros 102 doentes sugeriram se confirma numa população mais alargada — e se Portugal terá contribuído para mudar o que é possível oferecer a quem mais precisa.
Portugal is about to become a testing ground for a new weapon against one of the country's most stubborn cancers. Five hospitals—in Gaia-Espinho, Porto, Lisbon, and Portimão—will begin enrolling patients this month in a clinical trial for amivantamab, an experimental immunotherapy injection developed by Johnson & Johnson. The drug works by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively, delivered directly into the tumor through injection rather than systemic infusion. By mid-2029, these five centers aim to recruit 500 patients from multiple countries, expanding on results that have already caught the attention of oncologists worldwide.
The early data is what's driving the momentum. When researchers presented their findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting, they reported that among 102 patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancers—the most difficult forms to treat—more than one-third responded positively to the drug. Twenty-eight patients saw their tumors shrink. Fifteen achieved what oncologists call a complete response: no detectable signs of disease after treatment. For patients facing cancers that have already returned or spread, these numbers represent genuine hope.
Head and neck cancer is not rare in Portugal. The country diagnoses roughly three thousand new cases each year, with smoking and heavy alcohol consumption driving much of that burden. These are cancers that often strike people in their working years, that affect speech and swallowing and appearance. When they return or metastasize, treatment options narrow sharply. Standard chemotherapy becomes less effective. Radiation has limits. The immune system, weakened by previous treatments, struggles to mount a defense.
Amivantamab takes a different approach. Rather than poisoning cells indiscriminately, it nudges the body's own defenses to do the work. The injection goes directly into the tumor, where it can work with minimal systemic side effects. The mechanism is precise: the drug essentially teaches immune cells to see cancer cells as enemies worth attacking. Early results suggest this teaching works.
The first Portuguese patient will be enrolled at Hospital CUF Descobertas this month. What happens next will unfold over the next three years as researchers gather data on safety and efficacy in a much larger population. The trial is designed to confirm what the initial 102 patients hinted at—that this approach genuinely changes outcomes for people whose options have run out. If it does, Portugal's five hospitals will have played a role in bringing a new standard of care into clinical practice. If it doesn't, the data will still matter, still guide the next attempt. Either way, the work of understanding how to fight this disease moves forward.
Notable Quotes
The therapy stimulates the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively through direct injection into the tumor.— Trial researchers
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that this trial is happening in Portugal specifically, rather than just continuing in the United States?
Because head and neck cancer doesn't respect borders, and neither should treatment development. Portugal has three thousand new cases a year—that's a substantial patient population. But more than that, the trial needs diverse participants across different healthcare systems to prove the drug works reliably, not just in one country's hospitals with one set of protocols.
The numbers sound good—one-third responding positively. But what does that actually mean for a patient sitting in a waiting room?
It means roughly a one-in-three chance that the cancer stops growing, or shrinks, or disappears entirely. For someone with recurrent or metastatic disease, where the standard options have already failed, one-in-three is not a small thing. It's the difference between accepting decline and having a real possibility of remission.
Why inject it directly into the tumor instead of giving it as a pill or IV infusion like most cancer drugs?
Because you want the drug working where it matters most, with the highest concentration where the cancer actually is. Direct injection means less drug needed overall, potentially fewer side effects elsewhere in the body, and the immune activation happens right at the site of disease.
What happens to the patients who don't respond? The two-thirds who see no benefit?
That's the hard part no one talks about enough. They continue on whatever their next option is—more chemotherapy, palliative care, clinical trials of other drugs. The trial will also measure safety, so researchers will know if the drug causes harm even when it doesn't help. That data matters too.
When will we actually know if this works well enough to become standard treatment?
Not until 2029 at the earliest, when the trial closes and the data is analyzed. Then it goes through regulatory review. So we're looking at 2030 or beyond before amivantamab might become something oncologists routinely offer. For patients enrolling now, it's a genuine gamble—but it's also their best shot.