
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”
This trial looked at zalutumumab for head and neck cancer that continued to grow or came back after chemotherapy with a .
Many head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cells are the flat, skin like cells that cover the inside of the mouth, nose and throat. Carcinoma just means cancer. So squamous cell carcinoma is cancer that starts in these cells.
Zalutumumab is a type of biological therapy called a monoclonal antibody. It seeks out cancer cells by looking for a particular protein.
In this trial, the researchers wanted to find out if zalutumumab stopped or slowed down the growth of squamous cell carcinoma. And to see if it could improve . The aims of the trial were to
The trial team found that zalutumumab increased the amount of time it took for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck to start growing again.
This was an international phase 3 trial. It recruited 286 people. This was a randomised trial. The people taking part were put into 1 of 2 treatment groups
Overall the average amount of time people lived was
6 months after treatment, 57 out of every 100 people (57%) who had zalutumumab were still alive. 42 out of every 100 people (42%) who didn’t have zalutumumab were still alive.
The average length of time it took for the cancer to start growing again was
The most common side effects were
The trial team concluded that although zalutumumab didn’t increase the amount of time people lived, it did increase the amount of time it took for the cancer to start growing again.
We have based this summary on information from the team who ran the trial. The information they sent us has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. The figures we quote above were provided by the trial team. We have not analysed the data ourselves.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Prof Christopher Nutting
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
Genmab
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"I am glad that taking part in a trial might help others on their own cancer journey.”