Volume 5, Number 10, Supplement 14 (October 2008)

Current Clinical Trials

1

PARTNER: a study of panitumumab plus chemotherapy for first-line treatment of advanced head and neck cancer

Lori J. Wirth, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA

Prognosis is poor for patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Median survival for those with metastatic or recurrent disease is 6–9 months, with a 5-year survival rate of 15%–30%. A variety of chemotherapy regimens have been used for treatment of advanced disease, generally involving a platinum agent combined with 5-fluorouracil or a taxane. Although these regimens can result in response rates of up to 40%, they have had little impact on survival. Because most SCCHN tumors overexpress the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), agents targeting this receptor have been evaluated in animal models and in the clinic. The fully human anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody panitumumab has potential antitumor activity in EGFR-positive tumors. It is approved as a single agent in the treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer and is being studied in SCCHN. Panitumumab Added to Regimen for Treatment of Head aNd Neck Cancer Evaluation of Response (PARTNER) is a randomized phase II trial that will compare docetaxel plus cisplatin with or without the addition of panitumumab for treatment of patients with metastatic or recurrent SCCHN. Those on the chemotherapy-only arm who experience disease progression will have the option of receiving single-agent panitumumab as second-line therapy.

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