Intervention: Cisplatin
Trial phase: Not Applicable
ATC code: L01XA01
SMILES: Cl[Pt]Cl.N.N
Sex: All
Age groups: Adult | Older Adult
Healthy volunteers: No
Participants at risk: 8
Group description: Patients receive cetuximab IV over 60-120 minutes for 3 weeks. Patients then undergo EBRT over 6-7 weeks. Patients achieving response continue weekly doses of cetuximab until radiation therapy is completed. Patients unable to achieve response or progression receive cisplatin IV over 1-2 hours on days 1, 22, and 43 of radiation therapy.

cetuximab: Given IV

cisplatin: Given IV

external beam radiation therapy: Undergo EBRT

laboratory biomarker analysis: Correlative studies
Eligibility criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

Histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx or larynx
Stage III/IVa/b squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 7 criteria (advanced, but not metastatic)
Patients must give informed consent
Patients must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =< 2
Platelets >= 100,000/uL
Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500/uL
Hemoglobin > 8 g/dl (use of transfusion to achieve this is acceptable)
Total bilirubin < 2 X institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT]) =< 3 X institutional ULN
Serum creatinine < 2 x institutional ULN or creatinine clearance > 50 ml/min as determined by 24 hour collection or estimated by Cockcroft-Gault formula
Estimated life expectancy of at least 12 weeks
Negative pregnancy test

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients may not have received previous therapy for their head and neck SCC, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery beyond biopsy
Second primary malignancy; exceptions are 1) patient had a second primary malignancy but has been treated and disease free for at least 3 years, 2) in situ carcinoma (e.g. in situ carcinoma of the cervix), 3) non-melanomatous carcinoma of the skin
Patients with metastatic disease beyond the neck and supraclavicular region will be excluded
Serious concomitant systemic disorders (including active infections) that would compromise the safety of the patient or compromise the patient's ability to complete the study, at the discretion of the investigator; this includes scleroderma
History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to cetuximab or cisplatinum or other agents used in the study
Women who are pregnant; women of childbearing age must agree to undergo a pregnancy test prior to therapy and to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation and for 6 months after; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately
Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are not automatically excluded, but must meet the following criteria: cluster of differentiation (CD)4 count is > 499/cu mm and their viral load is < 50 copies/ml; use of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is allowed
Patients who have had either myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, coronary artery stenting, hospital admission for heart related issues such as congestive heart failure or arrhythmia within the last 3 months, will not be allowed on protocol

Grade 3-4 electrolyte abnormalities (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [CTCAE], version [v]. 4):

Serum calcium (ionized or adjusted for albumin) < 7 mg/dl (1.75 mmol/L) or > 12.5 mg/dl (> 3.1 mmol/L) despite intervention to normalize levels
Magnesium < 0.9 mg/dl (< 0.4 mmol/L) or > 3 mg/dl (> 1.23 mmol/L) despite intervention to normalize levels
Potassium < 3.5 mmol/L or > 6 mmol/L despite intervention to normalize levels
Sodium < 130 mmol/L or > 155 mmol/L despite intervention to normalize levels