Efficacy of SU 011248 in Head And Neck Carcinoma

Inclusion Criteria: * Recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma not amenable to curative treatment with surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or radiation * Recurrence must be confirmed by anatomopathology (cytology or biopsy) * At least one measurable lesion by MRI or CT-scan * Failed or relapsing after first line chemotherapy including a platinum\* or a taxane-based chemotherapy regimen * Patients ineligible for chemotherapy could be included in first line * ECOG performance status 0 -2, in stable medical condition * Patients must be able to swallow tablets * Patients must have an expected survival of at least 3 months * Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue available for immunohistochemistry * Patients must be over 18 years old and must be able to give written informed consent * Women of child-bearing age must have a negative pregnancy test * Female patients of child-bearing age must use effective contraception until 3 months have elapsed after the last injection * Patients must have normal organ function * For patients with local recurrence and easily accessible tumors, acceptance of iterative biopsies to store tumor samples (Formaldehyde for immunochemistry, RNA later) * Acceptance of giving 20 ml of blood for eventual pharmacogenomic analysis * Acceptance of giving two plasma samples (3ml) at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment with SU011248 * Signed informed consent prior to beginning protocol specific procedure Exclusion Criteria: * Non-squamous head and neck cancer * Nasopharynx cancer * Brain metastases * More than two lines of chemotherapy for palliative treatment (except if chemotherapy was given as a part of a multimodal treatment given with a curative intent) * Surgery or irradiation or investigational drugs within 4 weeks before study inclusion * Other uncontrolled illnesses (active infections requiring antibiotics, bleeding disorders, …) * Active uncontrolled coronary disease or cardiac insufficiency (Ejection fraction below 40%) * Previous malignancy, with exception of a history of a previous basal cell carcinoma of the skin or pre-invasive carcinoma of the cervix * Other concomitant anticancer therapies * Previous treatment with anti-VEGF, PDGF, or kit therapies. EGFR therapy is not an exclusion criteria. * Organic brain syndrome or significant psychiatric abnormality that would preclude participation in the full protocol and follow up.