New hope for head and neck cancer: drug combo trial underway
NCT ID NCT04590963
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 3 trial tests whether adding monalizumab to the standard drug cetuximab helps people with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer live longer. The study includes 370 adults who have already tried an immune checkpoint inhibitor and platinum-based chemotherapy. Participants receive either monalizumab plus cetuximab or a placebo plus cetuximab, and researchers track overall survival.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- monalizumab and cetuximab
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could offer a new treatment option for people with advanced head and neck cancer who have already tried other therapies.
- What could go wrong
- This is a late-stage trial, but the results are not yet final. The drug may not improve survival significantly, and side effects from the combination could be serious.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tucson, Arizona, 85719, United States
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Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
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Westwood, Kansas, 66205, United States
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Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
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Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
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Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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Las Vegas, Nevada, 89169, United States
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New York, New York, 10029, United States
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Charlotte, North Carolina, 28204, United States
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Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27103, United States
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Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19111, United States
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232, United States
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Dallas, Texas, 75246, United States
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Houston, Texas, 77090, United States
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CABA, 1426, Argentina
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CABA, C1012AAR, Argentina
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CABA, C1426ANZ, Argentina
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Camperdown, 2050, Australia
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Elizabeth Vale, 5112, Australia
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Heidelberg, 3084, Australia
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Melbourne, 3000, Australia
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Linz, 4010, Austria
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Brussels, 1200, Belgium
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Leuven, 3000, Belgium
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Namur, 5000, Belgium
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Roeselare, 8800, Belgium
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Belo Horizonte, 30110-022, Brazil
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Porto Alegre, 90560-030, Brazil
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Rio de Janeiro, 22271-110, Brazil
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São Paulo, 01321-001, Brazil
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São Paulo, 01327-001, Brazil
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São Paulo, 01509-900, Brazil
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São Paulo, 04543-000, Brazil
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Panagyurishte, 4500, Bulgaria
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Plovdiv, 4004, Bulgaria
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Sofia, 1527, Bulgaria
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Victoria, British Columbia, V8R 6V5, Canada
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Hamilton, Ontario, L8V 5C2, Canada
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Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada
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Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9, Canada
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Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1E2, Canada
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Avignon, 84918, France
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Bordeaux, 33000, France
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Clermont-Ferrand, 63011, France
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Dijon, 21079, France
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Lyon, 69373, France
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Marseille, 13005, France
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Montpellier, 34298, France
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Strasbourg, 67033, France
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Berlin, 12203, Germany
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Essen, 45122, Germany
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Freiburg im Breisgau, 79106, Germany
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Hanover, 30625, Germany
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Leipzig, 04103, Germany
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Ulm, 89081, Germany
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Würzburg, 97070, Germany
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Athens, 11528, Greece
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Chaïdári, 124 62, Greece
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Thessaloniki, 54645, Greece
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Brescia, 25123, Italy
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Candiolo, 10060, Italy
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Florence, 50134, Italy
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Milan, 20132, Italy
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Milan, 20133, Italy
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Modena, 41124, Italy
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Naples, 80131, Italy
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Padova, 35128, Italy
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Chūōku, 104-0045, Japan
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Fukuoka, 811-1395, Japan
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Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan
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Isehara-shi, 259-1193, Japan
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Kashiwa, 277-8577, Japan
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Kobe, 650-0017, Japan
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Kōtoku, 135-8550, Japan
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Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
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Sayama, 589-8511, Japan
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Sunto-gun, 411-8777, Japan
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Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
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Yokohama, 241-8515, Japan
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Amsterdam, 1066 CX, Netherlands
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Maastricht, 6229 HX, Netherlands
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Nijmegen, 6525 GA, Netherlands
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Manila, 1000, Philippines
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Pasig, 1605, Philippines
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Quezon City, 1112, Philippines
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Bialystok, 15-027, Poland
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Bydgoszcz, 85-796, Poland
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Poznan, 61-866, Poland
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Coimbra, 3000-075, Portugal
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Porto, 4099-001, Portugal
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Porto, 4200-319, Portugal
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Vila Nova de Gaia, 4434-502, Portugal
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Moscow, 115478, Russia
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Moscow Region, 143081, Russia
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Obninsk, 249036, Russia
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Saint Petersburg, 191014, Russia
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Saint Petersburg, 195271, Russia
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Saint Petersburg, 197022, Russia
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Saint Petersburg, 197758, Russia
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Busan, 49267, South Korea
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Cheongju-si, 28644, South Korea
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Goyang-si, 10408, South Korea
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Seongnam-si, 13620, South Korea
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Seoul, 06351, South Korea
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Seoul, 110-744, South Korea
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Seoul, 138-736, South Korea
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Barcelona, 08035, Spain
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Madrid, 28007, Spain
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Madrid, 28040, Spain
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Madrid, 28041, Spain
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Valencia, 46014, Spain
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Basel, 4031, Switzerland
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Bern, 3010, Switzerland
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Lausanne, CH-1011, Switzerland
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Changhua, 500, Taiwan
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Taichung, 40447, Taiwan
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Taichung, 40705, Taiwan
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Tainan, 704, Taiwan
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Taipei, 112, Taiwan
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Taipei, 235, Taiwan
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London, SW3 6JJ, United Kingdom
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Manchester, M20 4BX, United Kingdom
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Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN, United Kingdom
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Sutton, SM2 5PT, United Kingdom
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can Pre-Surgery immunotherapy prime the immune system to fight head and neck cancer?
- Can a new drug boost the power of chemoradiation against head and neck cancer?
- Experimental antibody combo aims to boost immune attack on head and neck tumors
- Scientists hunt for blood markers to unmask hidden aggressive tumors
- Liver damage study in head and neck cancer abandoned after just 2 patients
- New antibody drug takes aim at Hard-to-Treat cancers