After 30 years this is the first drug in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck which prevents the growth of malignant cells, metastatic cells, creation of blood vessels that feed the tumour tissue and controls destruction of malignant cells.

German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA, Darmstadt recently published the results of the international randomized study in the use of Erbitux (cetuximab), monoclonal antibody type IgG1 combined with radiotherapy at patients with local progressive squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

This study has showed that inclusion of Erbitux (cetuximab) to the radiotherapy prolongs life up to 20 months compared to 9, 5 months at patients subjected only to radiotherapy, and thus reducing the risk of mortality for 26%.
Also, this combined therapy resulted in 32% reduction of the risk of relapse at this type of cancer.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck occurs at 6 percent of total malignant tumours around the world. In most countries, it is more frequent at men rather than at women and people older than 50. In Europe, approximately 100 000 new cases are diagnosed each year, including cancer of tongue, mouth, oesophagus and throat. Mortality is very high and occurs at more than 39 000 patients. This kind of cancer is associated with smoking and alcohol drinking.

The appearance of Erbitux (cetuximab) is a revolutionary discovery because for almost 30 years this type of cancer was only treated with radiotherapy.

The effect of Erbitux (cetuximab) is conducted in the way that this monoclonal antibody attaches to certain receptors on the surface of malignant cells thus taking the place of the stimulators for growth and development of these cells which are also prone to the same receptors. It is thus preventing the growth of malignant cells, creation of blood vessels that feed the tumour tissue and controls destruction of malignant cells.

Erbitux (cetuximab) is also used at patients with cancer of the large intestine, either with or without metastases, ever since 2003. The results are very optimistic: at 23% of the patients the volume of the cancer decreased for more than a half, at 56% the growth of the tumour was stopped, while the results of a recent study show that Erbitux (cetuximab) combined with chemotherapy gave positive answer to the therapy even at 81% of patients.
Erbitux (cetuximab) is the only drug that is highly efficient in the third line at metastatic cancer of the large intestine (FDA, September 2005).