IL6 is associated with response to dasatinib and cetuximab: Phase II clinical trial with mechanistic correlatives in cetuximab-resistant head and neck cancer

Despite over-expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the majority of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), clinical responses to the EGFR-directed antibody, cetuximab, approximate 10% [1–3]. Unlike colorectal cancer, where activating KRAS and BRAF mutations predict cetuximab resistance [4], no selection biomarker exists in HNSCC [5,6]. In HNSCC preclinical models, activation of parallel growth factor receptors or downstream signaling nodes circumvents EGFR blockade [7].

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