Source: professional.cancerconsultants.com Author: staff A multicenter randomized trial has shown that patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer receiving adjuvant Erbitux® (cetuximab) and radiotherapy who develop a rash have a better survival than patients receiving this therapy who don’t develop a rash. The details of this five-year follow-up of a Phase III randomized study were published early online in the Lancet Oncology on November 7, 2009.[1] Standard treatment for head and neck cancer is largely determined by the stage and by the specific locations within the head or neck area where the cancer has spread. The patient’s overall medical condition is also a deciding factor. Treatment typically consists of radiation therapy, chemotherapy with surgery, or surgery alone. Erbitux is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the epithelial growth factory receptor (EGFR) and inhibits the receptor’s effects on cellular replication. Erbitux is currently FDA-approved for treatment of head and neck cancer. Researchers involved in an international study have previously reported that the addition of Erbitux to radiation therapy improves survival over radiation therapy alone in the treatment of head and neck cancer. The results of this randomized trial with a 54-month follow-up were published in the February 9, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. This trial included 424 patients; approximately half were treated with Erbitux plus high-dose radiation therapy, and the other half received high-dose radiation therapy alone. This study now has a follow-up of more than five years. The Following table summarizes some of the findings [...]