Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Phase III Trial of Concurrent Radiation and Chemotherapy for Advanced Head and Neck Carcinomas
Brief Summary: RATIONALE: Radiation therapy (RT) uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Giving radiation therapy in different ways and combining it with chemotherapy before surgery may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known which radiation therapy regimen combined with chemotherapy with or without surgery is more effective for head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare two different radiation therapy regimens combined with cisplatin with or without surgery in treating patients who have stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.


Options:
A: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically proven advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx

  * Stage III OR
  * Stage IV without distant metastases
* Measurable disease
* Tumor tissue available for immunohistochemical assay of epidermal growth factor receptor expression

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* Karnofsky 60-100%

Life expectancy:

* At least 1 year

Hematopoietic:

* Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
* SGOT and SGPT no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL OR
* Creatinine clearance at least 50 mL/min
* Calcium normal

Other:

* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception
* Medically able to withstand a course of definitive radiotherapy
* No medical or psychologic condition that would preclude informed consent or compliance
* No other malignancy within the past 3 years except basal cell skin cancer or preinvasive carcinoma of the cervix

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* No prior cetuximab or other murine monoclonal antibody

Chemotherapy:

* At least 3 years since prior systemic chemotherapy
* No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

* Not specified

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy to head and neck
* No other concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* No prior surgery for indicator lesion except biopsy
* Study radiotherapy must not be a part of a postoperative regimen after primary surgical resection
B: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx

  * Stage III or IV (T2, N2-3, M0 or T3-4, any N, M0)
* No metastases below the clavicle or more distant by clinical exam or radiology

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Absolute granulocyte count at least 2,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count at least 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic

* Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
* Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) no greater than 2 times upper limit of normal

Renal

* Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL
* Creatinine clearance at least 50 mL/min
* Calcium normal

Cardiovascular

* No symptomatic coronary artery disease (angina)
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

Other

* No other invasive malignancy within the past 3 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer
* No simultaneous primary tumors
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Not specified

Chemotherapy

* No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* No prior radiotherapy to the head and neck except radioactive iodine therapy

Surgery

* No prior surgery to the primary tumor or nodes except diagnostic biopsy or nodal sampling of neck disease

  * No radical or modified neck dissection
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* 1.Histologically or cytologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the head/neck.
* 2.Primary tumor sites eligible: oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx. Although they are admittedly of squamous cell types, the following tumors will be excluded because their responsiveness to chemotherapy may differ: nasal, paranasal cavities; nasopharynx.
* 3.Stage 3 or 4 disease without evidence of distant metastases verified with Chest X-Ray, abdominal ultrasound or CT (liver function test abnormalities); bone scan in case of local symptoms.
* 4.At least one uni or bidimensionally measurable lesion.
* 5.Tumor considered as inoperable after evaluation by a multidisciplinary team (surgeon, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist). Criteria include : Technical unresectablility-ie tumor fixation/invasion to base of the skull or cervical vertebrae involvement of the nasopharynx and fixed lymph nodes; Physician's decision based on low surgical curability which includes all T3-4 stages, all N2-3 stages excluding T1N2; organ preservation.
* 6.No previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy for any reason and no previous surgery for SCCHN (other than biopsy) are allowed at time of study entry.
* 7.Age ³ 18 years.
* 8.WHO performance status of 0-1
* 9.No active alcohol addiction
* 10.Life expectancy ³ 12 weeks
* 11.Signed informed consent prior to beginning protocol specific procedures
* 12.Adequate bone marrow, hepatic and renal functions as evidenced by the following: Hematology (Bone Marrow): Neutrophil count ³ 2.0 x 10 9/L; Platelet count ³ 100 X 10 9/L; Hemoglobin ³ 10g/dL; Hepatic function : Total bilirubin WNL; ASAT (SGOT) and ALAT (SGPT) £ 2.5 X ULN; Alkaline phosphatase £ 5 X ULN; patients with ASAT or ALAT \> 1.5 x ULN associated with alkaline phosphatase \> 2.5 x ULN are not eligible for the study; Renal function: the creatinine clearance ³ 60 ml/min (actual or calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault method as follows: Weight (kg) X (140-age)/K x serum creatinine.
* 13.Patients must be available for treatment and follow up. Patients registered on this trial must be treated and followed at the participating center.

Exclusion Criteria:

* 1.Pregnant or lactating women or women of childbearing potential not using adequate contraception.
* 2.Previous or current malignancies at other sites, with the exception of adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the cervix uteri, basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or other cancer curatively treated by surgery and with no evidence of disease for at least 5 years. Any prior treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy is an exclusion criterion.
* 3.Symptomatic peripheral neuropathy ³ grade 2 by NCIC-CTG criteria.
* 4.Symptomatic altered hearing \> grade 2 by NCIC-CTG criteria.
* 5.Other serious illnesses or medical conditions including but no limited to: Unstable cardiac disease despite treatment, myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to study entry; History of significant neurologic or psychiatric disorders including dementia or seizures; Active uncontrolled infection; Active peptic ulcer; Hypercalcemia; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring hospitalization during the year preceding study entry.
* 6.Patients requiring intravenous alimentation.
* 7.Patients who experienced a weight loss of more than 20% of their body weight in the 3 months preceding study entry.
* 8.Concurrent treatment with any other anticancer therapy
* 9.Participation in an investigational trial within 30 days of study entry.
D: List of Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

  * Stage III or IV\* disease
  * One of the following primary tumor sites:

    * Oral cavity

      * No mandible invasion
    * Oropharynx
    * Hypopharynx
    * Larynx
  * The following primary tumor sites are excluded:

    * Nasal cavity
    * Paranasal cavity
    * Nasopharynx NOTE: \*No evidence of distant metastases by chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, or CT scan (for patients with liver function test abnormalities) or bone scan (for patients with local symptoms)
* At least 1 uni- or bi-dimensionally measurable lesion

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* Over 18

Performance status

* WHO 0-1

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Neutrophil count \> 1,500/mm\^3
* Platelet count \> 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin \> 10 g/dL

Hepatic

* Bilirubin normal
* AST or ALT within eligibility range
* Alkaline phosphatase within eligibility range

Renal

* Creatinine clearance \> 60 mL/min

Cardiovascular

* No unstable cardiac disease despite treatment
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months

Pulmonary

* No chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, defined as requiring hospitalization for pneumonia or respiratory decompensation within the past year

  * Obstruction caused by the tumor allowed

Neurologic

* No symptomatic peripheral neuropathy \> grade 2
* No symptomatic altered hearing \> grade 2
* No history of significant neurologic or psychiatric disorders, including dementia or seizures

Other

* No active drug addiction, including alcohol, cocaine, or intravenous drugs within the past 6 months
* No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix, basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, or other cancer curatively treated by surgery alone
* No active, clinically significant, uncontrolled infection
* No autoimmune disease requiring therapy
* No unhealed or clinically active peptic ulcer disease
* No hypercalcemia
* No other serious illness or medical condition
* No involuntary weight loss \> 25% of body weight within the past 2 months
* HIV negative
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for at least 3 months after study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* Not specified

Chemotherapy

* No prior chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* No prior radiotherapy

Surgery

* No prior organ transplantation
* No prior surgery for this cancer

  * Biopsy allowed

Other

* More than 30 days since prior participation in another investigational study
* No other concurrent anticancer therapy

Answer: B