Primary Outcome Measures:
- Relationship between response rate and number of CA repeats in intron
1 of the EGFR [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Time to disease progression [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Survival [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Toxicity [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
- Compare the degree of p27 upregulation and EGFR phosphorylation in skin biopsy samples [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Relationship between erlotinib hydrochloride exposure and outcome, toxicity, and pharmacodynamic effects [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
OBJECTIVES:
Primary
- Determine the relationship between response rate and number of CA repeats in intron 1 of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in patients with metastatic and/or locally recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) treated with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib hydrochloride.
Secondary
- Determine the relationship between the number of CA repeats in intron 1 of the EGFR gene and time to disease progression and survival in patients treated with this drug.
- Determine cutaneous and other toxicities of erlotinib hydrochloride in patients with different numbers of CA repeats in intron 1 of the EGFR gene.
- Compare the degree of p27 upregulation and EGFR phosphorylation in skin biopsy samples in patients with different numbers of CA repeats in intron 1 of the EGFR genes treated with this drug.
- Determine the relationship between erlotinib hydrochloride exposure (utilizing total and unbound erlotinib hydrochloride concentrations) and outcome, toxicity, and pharmacodynamic effects (upregulation of p27) in patients with different numbers of CA repeats.
OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to genotype of intron 1 of the epidermal growth factor receptor (16/16 vs 16/20 or 20/20).
Patients receive oral erlotinib hydrochloride once daily on days 1-28. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed periodically.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 37 patients will be accrued for this study.