Radiation Therapy and Cisplatin With or Without Cetuximab in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Head and Neck Cancer

Summary

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Cisplatin may also make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Monoclonal antibodies, such as cetuximab, can block tumor growth in different ways. Some block the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Others find tumor cells and help kill them or carry tumor-killing substances to them. Giving radiation therapy and cisplatin together with cetuximab may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy and cisplatin are more effective with or without cetuximab in treating head and neck cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy, cisplatin, and cetuximab to see how well they work compared to radiation therapy and cisplatin in treating patients with stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.

Timeline

Start

2005-11

Primary completion

2011-01

Completion

2022-05-20

Publications

• Results Ang KK, Zhang Q, Rosenthal DI, Nguyen-Tan PF, Sherman EJ, Weber RS, Galvin JM, Bonner JA, Harris J, El-Naggar AK, Gillison ML, Jordan RC, Konski AA, Thorstad WL, Trotti A, Beitler JJ, Garden AS, Spanos WJ, Yom SS, Axelrod RS. Randomized phase III trial of concurrent accelerated radiation plus cisplatin with or without cetuximab for stage III to IV head and neck carcinoma: RTOG 0522. J Clin Oncol. 2014 Sep 20;32(27):2940-50. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2013.53.5633.
• Results Truong MT, Zhang Q, Rosenthal DI, List M, Axelrod R, Sherman E, Weber R, Nguyen-Tan PF, El-Naggar A, Konski A, Galvin J, Schwartz D, Trotti A, Silverman C, Singh A, Godette K, Bonner JA, Jones CU, Garden AS, Shenouda G, Matthiesen C, Le QT, Bruner D. Quality of Life and Performance Status From a Substudy Conducted Within a Prospective Phase 3 Randomized Trial of Concurrent Accelerated Radiation Plus Cisplatin With or Without Cetuximab for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Carcinoma: NRG Oncology Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0522. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2017 Mar 15;97(4):687-699. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.08.003. Epub 2016 Aug 12.
• Results Schwartz DL, Harris J, Yao M, Rosenthal DI, Opanowski A, Levering A, Ang KK, Trotti AM, Garden AS, Jones CU, Harari P, Foote R, Holland J, Zhang Q, Le QT. Metabolic tumor volume as a prognostic imaging-based biomarker for head-and-neck cancer: pilot results from Radiation Therapy Oncology Group protocol 0522. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2015 Mar 15;91(4):721-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2014.12.023.
• Gharzai LA, Morris E, Schipper MJ, Kidwell KM, Nguyen-Tan PF, Rosenthal DI, Gillison ML, Jordan RC, Garden AS, Koyfman SA, Caudell JJ, Blakaj DM, Dunlap NE, Krempl GA, Longo JM, Jones CU, Gensheimer MF, Galloway TJ, DeMora L, Le QT, Shah JL, Suresh K, Mierzwa M. Treatment Interruption and Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of 3 Randomized Clinical Trials. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2026 Feb 1;152(2):144-153. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2025.4203.
• Caudell JJ, Torres-Saavedra PA, Rosenthal DI, Axelrod RS, Nguyen-Tan PF, Sherman EJ, Weber RS, Galvin JM, El-Naggar AK, Konski AA, Echevarria MI, Dunlap NE, Shenouda G, Singh AK, Beitler JJ, Garsa A, Bonner JA, Garden AS, Algan O, Harris J, Le QT. Long-Term Update of NRG/RTOG 0522: A Randomized Phase 3 Trial of Concurrent Radiation and Cisplatin With or Without Cetuximab in Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2023 Jul 1;116(3):533-543. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.12.015. Epub 2022 Dec 19.
• Mell LK, Shen H, Nguyen-Tan PF, Rosenthal DI, Zakeri K, Vitzthum LK, Frank SJ, Schiff PB, Trotti AM 3rd, Bonner JA, Jones CU, Yom SS, Thorstad WL, Wong SJ, Shenouda G, Ridge JA, Zhang QE, Le QT. Nomogram to Predict the Benefit of Intensive Treatment for Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2019 Dec 1;25(23):7078-7088. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-1832. Epub 2019 Aug 16.
• Beitler JJ, Switchenko JM, Dignam JJ, McDonald MW, Saba NF, Shin DM, Magliocca KR, Cassidy RJ, El-Deiry MW, Patel MR, Steuer CE, Xiao C, Hudgins PA, Aiken AH, Curran WJ Jr, Le QT. Smoking, age, nodal disease, T stage, p16 status, and risk of distant metastases in patients with squamous cell cancer of the oropharynx. Cancer. 2019 Mar 1;125(5):704-711. doi: 10.1002/cncr.31820. Epub 2018 Dec 11.
• Weidhaas JB, Harris J, Schaue D, Chen AM, Chin R, Axelrod R, El-Naggar AK, Singh AK, Galloway TJ, Raben D, Wang D, Matthiesen C, Avizonis VN, Manon RR, Yumen O, Nguyen-Tan PF, Trotti A, Skinner H, Zhang Q, Ferris RL, Sidransky D, Chung CH. The KRAS-Variant and Cetuximab Response in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2017 Apr 1;3(4):483-491. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.5478.

Drugs

Indications