%0 Journal Article %A PRIMOŽ STROJAN %A BRANKO ZAKOTNIK %A BARBARA ŽUMER %A KATARINA KARNER %A MARTA DREMELJ %A BORIS JANČAR %A SIMONA JEREB %A CVETKA GRAŠIČ-KUHAR %T Skin Reaction to Cetuximab as a Criterion for Treatment Selection in Head and Neck Cancer %D 2018 %R 10.21873/anticanres.12717 %J Anticancer Research %P 4213-4220 %V 38 %N 7 %X Background/Aim: It can be hypothesized that in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer and prominent cetuximab (CMb)-induced skin rash, immunoradiotherapy would result in a survival advantage over chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin (CP). Patients and Methods: After a loading dose of CMb, one weekly cycle of CMb and CP concurrently with RT, patients who developed a grade ≥2 rash proceeded with immunoradiotherapy, and those with a grade 0-1 rash had chemoradiotherapy. Results: A grade 3-4 allergic reaction to CMb developed in 11/39 (28.2%) patients and further recruitment was stopped. These patients proceeded treatment with CP. In early assessment of skin rash 10/28 patients qualified for chemoradiotherapy and 18/28 patients for immunoradiotherapy. There was no difference in survival between the two groups. Conclusion: Rate of serious CMb-induced hypersensitivity reactions was unacceptably high. Even though immunoradiotherapy was administered only to the prognostically most favorable group of patients, it resulted in no advantage over chemoradiotherapy. %U https://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/anticanres/38/7/4213.full.pdf