Biological therapy for nasopharyngeal cancer

This page is about biological therapies for nasopharyngeal cancer. You can find the following information

A quick guide to what's on this page
What biological therapy is
Cetuximab (Erbitux)
Other biological therapies
Side effects of biological therapies
Getting more information

What biological therapy is

Biological therapies are treatments that act on processes in cancer cells. They can work in different ways such as changing the way cells signal to each other or by stimulating the body to attack or control the growth of cancer cells.

Biological therapies used for nasopharyngeal cancer

The most commonly used biological therapy for nasopharyngeal cancer is cetuximab. Cetuximab (Erbitux) blocks areas on the surface of cancer cells that can trigger growth. Cetuximab is also sometimes combined with platinum based chemotherapy for people with squamous cell head and neck cancer that has come back or has spread.

Cetuximab combined with radiotherapy is used for people with locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer, if chemotherapy is not working or can't be used. Locally advanced cancer means cancer that has spread into the areas close to the nasopharynx, but not to other areas of the body such as bone or distant lymph nodes.

Newer biological therapies are being used in clinical trials for nasopharyngeal cancer. The therapies include gefitinib (Iressa), zalutumumab and everolimus.

Possible side effects

The side effects will depend on which biological therapy you have. These include tiredness, diarrhoea, skin changes, a sore mouth, weakness, loss of appetite, low blood counts, and swelling caused by fluid build up in parts of the body. Some people may have one or more of these side effects.

CR PDF Icon You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the treating nasopharyngeal cancer section.

Cetuximab (Erbitux) is a type of biological therapy known as a monoclonal antibody. It is designed to block areas on the surface of cancer cells that can trigger growth. These areas are called epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR). Blocking these receptors can stop the signals that tell the cancer to grow.

Clinical trials have shown that cetuximab combined with radiotherapy can help people with locally advanced head and neck cancer to live longer than radiotherapy alone. There are ongoing clinical trials looking at cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in nasopharyngeal cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) have approved the use of cetuximab with radiotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer, if platinum based chemotherapy (such as cisplatin or carboplatin) is not working or can't be used.

Cetuximab is now also licensed in Europe for use in combination with platinum based chemotherapy, for people with squamous cell head and neck cancer that has come back (recurrence) or has spread (metastases). But in 2009 the SMC in Scotland and NICE in England decided not to recommend cetuximab for patients with recurrence or metastases on the NHS because it is not cost effective.

Newer biological therapies are being used in trials for head and neck cancer, including nasopharyngeal cancer. The therapies include

You can find information about these drugs on the nasopharyngeal cancer research page.

The side effects will depend on which biological therapy you have, but may include

Tiredness (fatigue)
Diarrhoea
Skin changes (rashes or discolouration) – rashes may be severe for some people
A sore mouth
Weakness
Loss of appetite
Low blood counts
Swelling of parts of the body – this is due to fluid build up

Tell your doctor if you have any of these effects as you can have medicines to help to control them. There is information about the side effects of individual biological therapies in our biological therapy section.

Look at the main biological therapy section for detailed information. You can find more information about each drug in our specific drug side effects section. There are pages there for all the most commonly used biological therapy drugs. Each page has information about common, occasional and rare side effects for that drug.

Our nasopharyngeal cancer organisations page gives details of people who can give information about biological therapies. Some organisations can put you in touch with a cancer support group. Our nasopharyngeal cancer reading list has information about books and leaflets on cancer treatments.