I am part of a phase 3 study comparing the standard cisplatin and radiation treatment with cisplatin, centuximab and radiation. The study is sponsored by The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG).

There are a number of studies in progress that use centuximab with various other drugs to augment radiation for head and neck as well as other cancers. For example: http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/RTOG+Study:+Adding+Cetuximab+to+Chemotherapy+and+Radiotherapy+Leads+to+Improved+Outcome+for+Lung+Cancer+Patients/3702674.html

The study I'm part of is RTOG0522.
http://www.rtog.org/summaries/headneck.html
The study is now closed but reports are not in yet.

At the end of June I'll be one year post treatment and there is no sign of cancer. I was in the arm of the study that got the centuximab (Erbitux). I do have more lingering side effects than many people report on this forum. My mouth and tongue are still very sensitive and I don't have much saliva so eating isn't much fun yet. I can and do eat many things and I am healing slowly. Most important, I don't have cancer.


dx: Stage 3 T2N2aM0 Left tonsil, base of tongue, 1 left node. HPV positive.
tx: Tonsilectomy (left) then Cisplatin x2, Erbitux x7, IMRT x35
Phase 3 clinical trial. Completed 6/28/07