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Article: Treatment for head and neck cancer.(Updates)
- Article from:
- FDA Consumer
- Article date:
- May 1, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The FDA has approved Erbitux (cetuximab) for use in combination with radiation therapy to treat patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN) that cannot be removed by surgery.
The March 2006 approval is the first drug treatment for head and neck cancer that has shown a survival benefit. At the same time, Erbitux was also approved for use alone to treat patients whose head and neck cancer has spread, despite the use of standard chemotherapy.
"Patients suffering from all forms of cancer have a common goal--to treat the disease and prolong life," says Steven Galson, M.D., director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "We ...