title: Early investigational drugs that target epidermal growth factor receptors for the treatment of head and neck cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) remains a challenging clinical problem, due to the persistent high rate of local and distant failures and the occurrence of secondary primaries. For locally advanced SCCHN, a combination of chemotherapy (CT), radiation or surgery is often used, but there are limitations, which may reduce compliance. Molecular targeted therapies, namely anti-EGFR treatments, are in development with the aim of improving clinical outcomes and mitigating treatment-related toxicities.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review provides an overview of early investigational drugs that target EGFR for the treatment of SCCHN and discusses the ongoing trials in this domain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Targeted therapies are increasingly used in oncology, especially in SCCHN. Cetuximab has demonstrated a significant improvement in the treatment outcome, both as a curative treatment in combination with radiation therapy and as a palliative treatment in combination with CT; however, it failed to show any benefit in combination with concomitant chemoradiotherapy. Presently, there are many new agents, including monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which are either currently under investigation for or which warrant further investigation for treating SCCHN. The discovery of predictive factors that help to identify patients most likely to respond to EGFR inhibitors as well as patient-customized therapies would help to improve patient outcomes in the future.
authors.affiliation: Acibadem University, Adana Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology , Adana , Turkey.
authors.forename: Gamze
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ugurluer
authors.forename: Mahmut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozsahin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D066246:ErbB Receptors
keywords: EGFR; chemoprevention; head and neck cancer; monoclonal antibodies; tyrosine kinase inhibitors