• 11/19/2004
  • Harari PM, Giralt JL, Chinnaiyan P, et al.
  • Annals of Oncology. 2004;15, supplement 3:iii13, abstract 46IN

An international multi-center study has concluded that the addition of Erbitux™ (cetuximab) to radiation therapy reduces locoregional recurrences and improves survival in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. This study, carried out between 1999 and 2002, was reported at the 2004 meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO).

This study randomly allocated 424 patients with stage III/IV head and neck cancer to receive radiation therapy with curative intent alone or in conjunction with Erbitux™. The researchers reported that the addition of Erbitux™ decreased locoregional disease recurrences by 8% at 2 years and improved survival by 13% at 3 years. Erbitux™ was well tolerated and did not interfere with wound healing in patients undergoing post-radiation neck dissections.

Comments:
This study appears to be “proof of principle” that an EGFR inhibitor can improve outcomes of patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiation therapy. Whether this is better than adjuvant chemotherapy remains to be determined. A major advantage of this approach is lack of toxicity and the main disadvantage will be cost. It will probably be necessary to compare outcomes with chemotherapy before widely adopted.

Reference:
Harari PM, Giralt JL, Chinnaiyan P, et al. Results of an international phase III trial or radiation +/- cetuximab (Erbitux™) in patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck (H&H) cancer. Proceedings of the 2004 meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology. Annals of Oncology. 2004;15, supplement 3:iii13, abstract 46IN.