New drug combo shows promise for Tough-to-Treat head and neck cancer

NCT ID NCT03082534

Completed Disease control Sponsor: University of California, San Diego Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested a combination of two drugs, pembrolizumab and cetuximab, in 78 people with advanced head and neck cancer that had returned or spread. The goal was to see if the combination could shrink tumors or slow the disease. Participants were grouped based on whether they had received similar treatments before, and the study measured how many responded and how long they lived without the cancer getting worse.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

head and neck cancer head and neck neoplasm Head and Neck Neoplasms head and neck squamous cell carcinoma hypopharynx cancer laryngeal neoplasm larynx cancer malignant tumor of nasopharynx Mouth Neoplasms nasal cavity and paranasal sinus carcinoma nasopharyngeal neoplasm Neoplasm Metastasis oral cavity cancer oropharynx cancer Recurrence skin squamous cell carcinoma Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma of lip

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

CUTANEOUS SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA HEAD AND NECK CANCER HEAD AND NECK NEOPLASMS HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA HNSCC HYPOPHARYNX CANCER LARYNX CANCER LIP SCC NASOPHARYNX CANCER ORAL CAVITY CANCER OROPHARYNX CANCER SINONASAL CARCINOMA

Contacts and locations

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Locations

UCSD Moores Cancer Center

La Jolla, California, 92093, United States
University of California Los Angeles Cancer Center

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States
University of Michigan Cancer Center

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
Washington School of Medicine Cancer Center

St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States