Welcome to our forum - sorry you are here, glad you found us.

The cisplatin is cytotoxic - in particular neuro- and nephrotoxic. My husband did very well on the cetuximab, with noticable improvement to the positive node within about a week and a half of the loading dose. He also had first cycle rash, which is associated with a better result.

The jury is still out on exactly where cetuximab helps most; they don't have a biomarker to point that says yes or no to whether or not to use an EFGR inhibitor, or which inhibitor to use. In my husband's case, he was borderline radiotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus radiation. I don't think his doctors wanted to use a neurotoxic agent on a scientist, so they carefully explained the level of evidence they had for their recommendation for cetuximab was not as strong as for cisplation. It was an informed decision.

One question - did your husband ever smoke, or did he smoke once and then quit?

Another questions - in the cisplatin arm, is it the three doses of cisplatin or weekly?