Cetuximab Plus Radiotherapy Versus Cisplatin Plus Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Overview

BACKGROUND: Concomitant radiotherapy and cisplatin (CDDP) based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for LA-NHSCC. This combined modality treatment is linked with considerable acute local and systemic toxicity.EGFR is overexpressed in 90-100% of the HNSCC cases and is considered an unfavourable prognostic marker. EGFR costitutive activation is linked with HNSCC pathogenesis. Cetuximab is a monoclonal anti-EGFR antibody blocking the activation of the receptor and signal transduction. Cetuximab combined with radiotherapy is superior to radiotherapy only in the treatment of LA-HNSCC and is characterized by an acceptable toxicity profile. RATIONALE: A direct comparison between concomitant chemoradiotherapy with Cisplatin and the concomitant treatment with radiotherapy associated to cetuximab does not exist. STUDY DESIGN: Arm A: Radical radiotherapy (doses and volumes) concomitant with chemotherapy with Cisplatin (40 mg/mq/week) Arm B: Radical radiotherapy (doses and volumes) concomitant with therapy with the monoclonal antibody Cetuximab (400 mg/m2 \["loading dose"\] and subsequently 250 mg /m2/week)

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: Evaluation and comparison of the compliance of the two treatments; SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: Evaluation and comparison of the grade and incidence of acute toxicity; Evaluation and comparison of local control; Evaluation and comparison of event free survival (both local control and distant metastases); Evaluation and comparison of cause specific and overall survival. INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA * Histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma (biopsy obtained from the tumor and/or from its lymphnodal metastases) originating from oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharinx, supraglottic larynx; * Locally advanced disease, defined by one of the following criteria: every T, N+, M0 ( T1, N1 cases excluded); T3-4, N0, M0; * Not a nasopharynx, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands tumor; * General conditions and concomitant diseases not considered a contraindication for chemotherapy or curative radiotherapy; * No other surgical, chemotherapeutic or radiotherapic treatments for ENT region tumors or for tumors of other anatomical sites (with the exception of non-melanoma cutaneous tumors and of the carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix and of other solid tumors whose primary treatment has been completed more than 3 years before the accrual in this study and never relapsed since primary treatment (the patient having been since then continuously disease- free); * Availability for follow-up; * Signed informed consent; * An interval of maximum 3 weeks between staging procedures for local disease and randomization * An interval of maximum 2 weeks between randomization and the onset of the treatment