Phase III Trial Of Docetaxel Versus Docetaxel Plus ZD1839 In Head And Neck Cancer

Summary

Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, work in different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Gefitinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. Combining docetaxel with gefitinib may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether docetaxel is more effective with or without gefitinib in treating head and neck cancer. This randomized phase III trial is studying docetaxel and gefitinib to see how well they work compared to docetaxel alone in treating patients with metastatic or locally recurrent head and neck cancer.

Timeline

Start

2004-08

Primary completion

2009-05

Completion

2012-08

Publications

• Results Argiris A, Ghebremichael M, Gilbert J, Lee JW, Sachidanandam K, Kolesar JM, Burtness B, Forastiere AA. Phase III randomized, placebo-controlled trial of docetaxel with or without gefitinib in recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer: an eastern cooperative oncology group trial. J Clin Oncol. 2013 Apr 10;31(11):1405-14. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2012.45.4272. Epub 2013 Mar 4.

Drugs

Indications