I read in a recent paper that the KRAS mutation is only present in 5% of head and neck cancers, which is why there is no genetic testing like in corectal cancer.

I was treated at MSKCC and was not offered/recommended Erbitux as a sole chemo agent.

I can't even comment on this without hearing Charm.
We did 2 rounds of induction chemo, then we had Erbitux with the IMRT. Our MO wanted to add Carboplatin as well as the Erbitux but Kevin refused. I thought he was wrong to refuse, but it is his body and his choice. Now we often think back to whether that was the right choice because we know we didn't hit it with all we had. If we have a recurrence, we will always wonder....
I say this just to make you think this all the way through. Not to say you haven't I guess...but...this is your life. Hit it HARD.
Kathy

Kathy - and Jim,
one of my riding buddies is an oncologist. One of the things she told me is that sometimes adding additional chemo's just added toxicity, not an improvement in survival. We'll probably know in 10 or 15 years which of the current therapies is the best for a specific situation, but until then, we have to just do our best.
Maria

Yes, that's the risk, more side effects, and something really to consider. It may kill the cancer, but may kill you. My MO would not do chemo for three of my recurrences. On the other hand, combining several drug therapies will attack the cancer in different ways, since the chemo combined or target therapy, work differently to kill the cancer, and are not the same type, like Erbitux & Taxotere. There is hope at least one will work, if the other doesn't for some reason, and or act as a radio sensitizer. There are trials that usually show what combinations work, studies that show what doesn't work. NCCN has a listing for these for mono or combined treatments in HNC, Also, they don't combine two of same types of drugs, like Cisplatin & Carboplatinum, Taxol & Taxotere, etc. due to the toxicities. I had Induction Chemo with high dose Taxotere, Cisplatin and 5-FU..ouch! I'm still recovering 3.5 years later, so I don't recommend that. Others may have no problem.