Not really, sometimes that's what you have to do is put the trust and faith in your doctors, and get a 2nd opinion lol. They know better than me. I know a few that had Erbitux alone, stage 4 tonsil, and are doing fine, but that was a few years years ago, maybe a year and a half, and I don't see as many, other than for metatastic, and recurrent cancer, who did Cisplatin as first line treatment that failed, are using Erbitux. and I guess most are waiting the outcome of a comparative trials with Cisplatin vs Erbitux, and possible treatment reduction with HPV. There was a recent article, one of many, about HPV sensitivty with radiation in oral cancer news in the opening page.

Hopefully they will one day have a biomarker that tests the the EGFR like colon cancer since they found 40 percent of the population had a KRAS mutation to make Erbitux ineffective on them, so they test before administrating. There is no such test for HNC, but heard Erbitux may not work in 5% HNC patients. I believe a gene fir HNC was found recently that may show who these targeted EGFR inhibitors may work on, but that's not coming soon.

Last edited by PaulB; 06-18-2013 12:18 PM.

10/09 T1N2bM0 Tonsil
11/09 Taxo Cisp 5-FU, 6 Months Hosp
01/11 35 IMRT 70Gy 7 Wks
06/11 30 HBO
08/11 RND PNI
06/12 SND PNI LVI
08/12 RND Pec Flap IORT 12 Gy
10/12 25 IMRT 50Gy 6 Wks Taxo Erbitux
10/13 SND
10/13 TBO/Angiograph
10/13 RND Carotid Remove IORT 10Gy PNI
12/13 25 Protons 50Gy 6 Wks Carbo
11/14 All Teeth Extract 30 HBO
03/15 Sequestromy Buccal Flap ORN
09/16 Mandibulectomy Fib Flap Sternotomy
04/17 Regraft hypergranulation Donor Site
06/17 Heart Attack Stent
02/19 Finally Cancer Free Took 10 yrs