[Combination therapy with molecular targeting drugs for head and neck cancer].

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is one of the standard treatments for advanced head and neck cancer (HNC). Intensive combination chemotherapy has been re-considered for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in functional preservation protocol. Molecular targeting drugs (MTG) have proved effective for HNC not only in basic study but in many clinical phase II trials. Cetuximab, an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody, is a key drug for regimens including MTG. Phase III trials with CDDP/carboplatin+5-FU vs CDDP/carboplatin+5-FU+cetuximab proved the combination with cetuximab was statistically effective for survival of patients with recurrent/metastatic HNC. Combination with cetuximab prolonged survival from 7.4 months to 10.1 months in this report. A good response rate and survival rate are reported in phase II study for chemoradiotherapy with CDDP and cetuximab. The three-year overall survival and local control rate were 76% and 71%, respectively. The combination with MTG will be important in CCRT for advanced HNC. It may well be considered the standard treatment for recurrent/metastatic HNC patients in future.