Abstract
Locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (LA SCCHN) includes various cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx that have spread from the primary site but have not metastasised. Due to poor public awareness of SCCHN and its symptoms, about 5070% of cases are diagnosed only when the disease has become locally advanced; prognosis by this time is poorer than during earlier stages. Combinations of chemotherapy with radiotherapy have produced greater efficacy in treating LA SCCHN over radiotherapy alone in various clinical trials, but this approach increases the incidence of toxicities. An alternative therapeutic approach is to use the monoclonal antibody cetuximab (Erbitux®). Cetuximab targets epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is overexpressed in LA SCCHN, and this overexpression of EGFR is associated with poor prognosis. A number of recent phase II and III clinical trials have demonstrated that cetuximab is an effective and safe treatment for LA SCCHN. One large phase III clinical trial demonstrated that the addition of cetuximab to radiotherapy in patients with LA SCCHN provides substantial efficacy and quality of life benefits, including improvements in overall survival, disease-free survival, response rate and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 parameters, without markedly affecting safety and tolerability. Other, smaller phase II studies in patient populations having either resectable or non-resectable tumours have demonstrated the benefits of adding cetuximab to other chemotherapy/radiotherapy regimens for LA SCCHN. Cetuximab is currently the only targeted biological therapy approved for use in combination with radiation therapy for LA SCCHN. In conclusion, cetuximab represents a significant advance in the treatment of LA SCCHN. Furthermore, based on the data from the large phase III trial, the most recent European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines recommend the use of cetuximab in combination with radiotherapy in LA SCCHN.
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