ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03370276Updated Apr 2, 2026Results posted

Cetuximab & Nivolumab in Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic Head & Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A Phase 1/2 interventional study of Nivolumab and Cetuximab in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity, sponsored by H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. Completed at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-02.

Sponsored by H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1/2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
95
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to find out if the combination of two established anti-cancer therapies are beneficial in participants with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC). Specifically, investigators want to determine if the combination of Cetuximab and nivolumab can help people with advanced cases of HNSCC. Both cetuximab and nivolumab have been used separately to treat HNSCC and are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in this type of cancer.

Read the detailed description

PHASE I: Participants will be enrolled sequentially and treated at Dose Level 1, or Dose Level -1, every 2 weeks for 12 cycles or until discontinuation.

Each cycle is 4 weeks. Cetuximab is given alone in lead-in period at Day -14 before Cycle 1 only. In all subsequent doses starting Cycle 1 Day 1, nivolumab and cetuximab will be given concurrently. Dose limiting toxicity (DLT) assessment will be performed during Cycle 1 and will start with the initiation of the combination of cetuximab and nivolumab (4 weeks).

PHASE II: Once the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or the recommended phase II dose of cetuximab is determined in Phase I, accrual to the phase II will begin.

FOLLOW-UP: Participants will be followed for 2 years from End of Treatment. The imaging studies will be performed every 8 weeks (2 cycles) of the treatments during Cycle 1-6 and then every 12 weeks during Cycle 7-12 as per standard of care. Patient will be followed by treating physicians as per standard of care.

02

Conditions studied

  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Hypopharynx
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Paranasal Sinus
  • Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Squamous Cell Cancer
  • Head and Neck Carcinoma
03

In context

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

2,018 studies on the registry are indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; 573 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 95 is above the median of 48 across 1,653 interventional studies indexed under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck.

Browse Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck studies →

Lead sponsor

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute is the lead sponsor of 540 studies on the registry; 75 are open to participants now.

Of its 99 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 57 (58%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants must have or cytologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity, oropharynx, paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, hypopharynx, or larynx. Squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary in cervical lymph node can be included only if p16 status is positive.
  • Must have recurrent or HNSCC stage III/IV that is not amenable to local therapy with curative intent (surgery or radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy).Patients with persistent disease following radiation therapy administered with a chemotherapy sensitizer may also be included.
  • Must have progressed on at least one , targeted therapy, palliative radiation, and/or biological therapy regimen for their recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC. However, if patients are likely to be intolerant to standard first-line systemic chemotherapy, the patients are eligible to enroll to this study as the first-line therapy. Additionally, patients with persistent disease or platinum- recurrent disease may enroll in this study as a first-line therapy.
  • Must NOT have any systemic therapy for recurrent and/or metastatic disease except if given as a part of a multimodality treatment (i.e. re-irradiation and systemic therapy for curable intent of locally recurrent disease).
  • Must have , defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded) as outlined in version 1.1.
  • Must be ≥ 18 years of age.
  • of greater than 3 months.
  • (ECOG) performance status ≤ 2.
  • Must have normal organ function: > 1,500/μL; > 9 g/dL; > 100,000/μL; Total ≤ 1.5 mg/dL X institutional (ULN); (SGOT)/ALT (SGPT) \< 3 X institutional ULN (or 5.0 X the ULN in the setting of liver metastasis); Serum creatinine of ≤ 1.5 X ULN or > 40 mL/minute (using Cockcroft/Gault formula): Female creatinine clearance = (140 - age in years) x weight in kg x 0.8572 x serum creatinine in mg/ dL; Male creatinine clearance = (140 - age in years) x weight in kg x 1.0072 x serum creatinine in mg/dL.
  • Participants, if sexually active, must be , surgically sterile, or using effective (hormonal or barrier methods). Female participants of must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to enrollment.
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written document.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have experienced grade 3 or above skin toxicity from prior Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibiting therapy.
  • Have experienced grade 3 or above toxicity from prior anti-PD1 therapy.
  • Have p16 negative squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary in cervical lymph node.
  • Patients with primary nasopharynx or salivary gland cancers.
  • Patients who have had chemotherapy, biological therapy or definitive radiation within 4 weeks of the study enrollment or those who have not recovered from adverse events to ≤ Grade 1 due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier.
  • Had undergone any major surgery within 4 weeks of study enrollment.
  • Had undergone any palliative radiation within 2 weeks of study enrollment.
  • Have had other agents within 4 weeks or 5 half-lives, whichever is shorter, of the study enrollment.
  • Have known or untreated or symptomatic . Treated, asymptomatic brain metastasis can be included.
  • Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, disease requiring systemic , symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
  • Have a condition requiring systemic treatment with either corticosteroids (> 10 mg daily prednisone equivalents) or other medications within 14 days of study drug administration. Inhaled or topical steroids and adrenal replacement doses > 10 mg daily prednisone equivalents are permitted in the absence of active autoimmune disease.
  • Have coronary artery disease or history of myocardial infarction in the last 12 months or high risk of uncontrolled arrhythmia or uncontrolled cardiac insufficiency.
  • Have uncontrolled or poorly controlled hypertension (>180 mmHg systolic or > 130 mmHg diastolic) at the time of enrollment.
  • Prior treatment with a combination of cetuximab and a /PD-L1 inhibitor. Prior treatment with cetuximab or a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor is allowed as long as not previously given in combination.
  • A history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of chemical or biologic composition similar to those of cetuximab and/or nivolumab.
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding.
  • Known active , Hep B, or Hep C infection. If not clinically indicated, the patients do not need to be tested.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(28)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Histologically or cytologically confirmed

The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).

Your pathology report is the document that shows this.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

Line of therapy

A line of therapy is one course of treatment, which may combine several drugs. First-line is the first course given; second-line follows when that stops working or is not tolerated.

“Two prior lines” means two courses that count separately under the study’s rules — not simply two drugs. Ask the study team if you are unsure how yours are counted.

Relapsed and refractory

Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.

Measurable disease

The amount of disease can be tracked with a defined measurement, so the study can see whether it shrinks or grows. It might be a tumour measured on a scan or, in some blood cancers such as myeloma, a marker measured in blood or urine.

The criteria or the study team say which measurement counts — having no tumour visible on a scan does not by itself rule you out.

RECIST

The standard rules for measuring tumours on CT or MRI scans, to tell whether a cancer is shrinking, stable or growing during treatment.

“Measurable disease per RECIST 1.1” usually means at least one tumour 10 mm or more at its longest on a CT scan, or a lymph node 15 mm or more across its short axis.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

ECOG performance status

A scale of how much an illness limits everyday activity. For people being assessed to join a study, scores run from 0 (fully active) to 4; lower is more active.

0
Fully active, no restrictions.
1
Limited in strenuous activity, but walking and able to do light work, such as housework or office work.
2
Walking and able to look after yourself, but unable to work; up and about more than half of waking hours.
3
Able to look after yourself only in part; in bed or a chair more than half of waking hours.
4
Unable to look after yourself at all; in bed or a chair all day.

Studies most often ask for 0–1 or 0–2. Your doctor gives the score; the WHO scale uses the same steps. The full scale also has 5, which records death.

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC)

The number of neutrophils, white blood cells that help fight infection, in a given amount of blood. Too few raises the risk of infection.

It is a count, not a percentage of the white cells. Limits are written in units that mean the same: ≥ 1.5 × 10⁹/L is ≥ 1,500 per mm³ (µL). Each lab has its own reference range.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

Creatinine clearance (CrCl)

How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.

Postmenopausal

Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

Leptomeningeal disease

Cancer that has spread to the leptomeninges, the thin layers covering the brain and spinal cord, and the fluid between them. It is not the same as brain metastases.

Criteria often treat it separately, and many studies leave it out even where treated brain metastases are allowed.

Brain metastases

Cancer deposits in the brain from a cancer that started elsewhere in the body (CNS metastases include the spinal cord).

Studies differ: some leave out any brain metastases, some accept ones treated and stable for some weeks. Check what this study allows.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

PD-1, PD-L1 and checkpoint inhibitors

PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 are proteins that act as brakes on the immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab, block them so the immune system can attack a cancer.

PD-L1 can also be measured in a tumour sample. Some scores count stained tumour cells only (TPS); others also count certain immune cells (CPS). The study names the score and the minimum it uses.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1 / Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
95 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Phase I - Affiliate Sites Only

    Nivolumab and dose escalation of Cetuximab. Dose Level 1: Lead-in Day -14 before Cycle 1 only: Cetuximab 500 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab - none. Cycle 1 Day 1 and all subsequent doses every 2 weeks (Q2W): Cetuximab 500 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab 240 mg. Dose Level -1: Lead-in Day -14 before Cycle 1 only: Cetuximab 500 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab - none. Cycle 1 Day 1 and all subsequent doses every 2 weeks (Q2W): Cetuximab 250 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab 240 mg.

    Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cetuximab

  • Experimental
    Phase I - Moffitt Site Only

    Nivolumab and dose escalation of Cetuximab. Dose Level 1: Lead-in Day -14 before Cycle 1 only: Cetuximab 500 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab - none. Cycle 1 Day 1 and all subsequent doses every 2 weeks (Q2W): Cetuximab 500 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab 240 mg. Dose Level -1: Lead-in Day -14 before Cycle 1 only: Cetuximab 500 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab - none. Cycle 1 Day 1 and all subsequent doses every 2 weeks (Q2W): Cetuximab 250 mg/m\^2; Nivolumab 240 mg.

    Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cetuximab

  • Experimental
    Phase II - Affiliate Sites Only

    Nivolumab and Cetuximab at recommended Phase II dose (RP2D).

    Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cetuximab

  • Experimental
    Phase II - Moffitt Site Only

    Nivolumab and Cetuximab at recommended Phase II dose (RP2D).

    Drug: Nivolumab · Drug: Cetuximab

Interventions

  • Nivolumab intravenously (IV) at 240 mg as outlined in the treatment arms.

    Also known as: Opdivo

  • Cetuximab intravenously (IV) at 500 mg/m\^2 or 250 mg/m\^2 as outlined in the treatment arms.

    Also known as: Erbitux

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Phase I: Maximum Tolerated Dose

    Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD).. The target Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT) rate is \<25%. The MTD will be defined as the dose of cetuximab and nivolumab in which \<1 of 3 patients experience a DLT or \<2 of 6 patients experience a DLT with the next higher dose having at least 2 patients experiencing a DLT. The MTD is the highest dose at which at most 1 of 6 patients has a DLT. This study will utilize the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program CTCAE version 4.1 for toxicity and event reporting. Dose-limiting toxicities will be observed until patients have completed Cycle 1 (4 weeks).

    Time frame: Up to 12 months

  2. Phase II: Overall Survival (OS)

    One year overall survival of concurrent cetuximab and nivolumab in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC. OS: The length of time from the start of treatment until death by any cause.

    Time frame: Up to 24 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Overall Response Rate (ORR)

    Complete Response (CR): The disappearance of all measurable lesions. Partial Response (PR): At least a 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameters of measureable lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum longest diameter. Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum longest diameter recorded since the baseline measurements, or the appearance of one or more new lesion(s). Stable Disease (SD): Neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify for partial response nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease. To be assigned a status of stable disease, measurements must have met the stable disease criteria at least once after study entry at a minimum interval of 6 weeks.

    Time frame: Up to 48 months

  2. Progression Free Survival (PFS)

    Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum longest diameter recorded since the baseline measurements, or the appearance of one or more new lesion(s).

    Time frame: at 12 months

  3. Number of Study Treatment Related Adverse Events

    Related adverse events according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) V4.1. An adverse event (AE) is defined as any untoward medical occurrence, including an exacerbation of a pre-existing condition, in a patient in a clinical investigation who received a pharmaceutical product. A serious adverse event (SAE) is defined as any AE that results in death, is immediately life-threatening, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, requires or prolongs patient hospitalization, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, or is to be deemed serious for any other reason if it is an important medical event when based on appropriate medical judgement that may jeopardize the patient and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the other outcomes listed in the above definitions.

    Time frame: Up to 48 months

07

Results

Posted Dec 20, 2022

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestonePhase I - Lead inPhase II- Cohort APhase II - Cohort B
Started34448
Completed34243
Not completed025
Withdrew: Death025

Outcome measures

PrimaryPhase I: Maximum Tolerated Dose

Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD).. The target Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT) rate is \<25%. The MTD will be defined as the dose of cetuximab and nivolumab in which \<1 of 3 patients experience a DLT or \<2 of 6 patients experience a DLT with the next higher dose having at least 2 patients experiencing a DLT. The MTD is the highest dose at which at most 1 of 6 patients has a DLT. This study will utilize the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program CTCAE version 4.1 for toxicity and event reporting. Dose-limiting toxicities will be observed until patients have completed Cycle 1 (4 weeks).

Time frame:
Up to 12 months
Reported as:
Number · mg/m^2
Phase I: Maximum Tolerated Dose
mg/m^2Phase I - Lead in
Phase I: Maximum Tolerated Dose500
PrimaryPhase II: Overall Survival (OS)

One year overall survival of concurrent cetuximab and nivolumab in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC. OS: The length of time from the start of treatment until death by any cause.

Time frame:
Up to 24 months
Reported as:
Median · months
Phase II: Overall Survival (OS)
monthsPhase I Lead in + Phase II: Cohort APhase II - Cohort B
Phase II: Overall Survival (OS)11.4 (9.4 to 14.4)20.2 (15.7 to 24.7)
SecondaryOverall Response Rate (ORR)

Complete Response (CR): The disappearance of all measurable lesions. Partial Response (PR): At least a 30% decrease in the sum of the longest diameters of measureable lesions, taking as reference the baseline sum longest diameter. Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum longest diameter recorded since the baseline measurements, or the appearance of one or more new lesion(s). Stable Disease (SD): Neither sufficient shrinkage to qualify for partial response nor sufficient increase to qualify for progressive disease. To be assigned a status of stable disease, measurements must have met the stable disease criteria at least once after study entry at a minimum interval of 6 weeks.

Time frame:
Up to 48 months
Reported as:
Number · percentage of participants responded
Overall Response Rate (ORR)
percentage of participants respondedPhase I Lead in + Phase II: Cohort APhase II - Cohort B
Overall Response Rate (ORR)2237
SecondaryProgression Free Survival (PFS)

Progressive Disease (PD): At least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameters of target lesions, taking as reference the smallest sum longest diameter recorded since the baseline measurements, or the appearance of one or more new lesion(s).

Time frame:
at 12 months
Reported as:
Median · months
Progression Free Survival (PFS)
monthsPhase I Lead in + Phase II: Cohort APhase II - Cohort B
Progression Free Survival (PFS)3.35 (2.56 to 7.13)6.15 (3.06 to NA)
SecondaryNumber of Study Treatment Related Adverse Events

Related adverse events according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) V4.1. An adverse event (AE) is defined as any untoward medical occurrence, including an exacerbation of a pre-existing condition, in a patient in a clinical investigation who received a pharmaceutical product. A serious adverse event (SAE) is defined as any AE that results in death, is immediately life-threatening, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, requires or prolongs patient hospitalization, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, or is to be deemed serious for any other reason if it is an important medical event when based on appropriate medical judgement that may jeopardize the patient and may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the other outcomes listed in the above definitions.

Time frame:
Up to 48 months
Reported as:
Number · events
Number of Study Treatment Related Adverse Events
eventsPhase I Lead in + Phase II: Cohort APhase II - Cohort B
Grade 1115228
Grade 2105142
Grade 32327
Grade 411

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse events collected from on study date to 30 days after completion of study therapy, approximately 2 years. All participants were followed for events, whether or not evaluable.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Phase I - Lead in2/3 (66.7%)3/3 (100%)3/3 (100%)
Phase II- Cohort A35/44 (79.5%)19/44 (43.2%)43/44 (97.7%)
Phase II - Cohort B33/48 (68.8%)19/48 (39.6%)45/48 (93.8%)
Most frequent serious events
Showing 10 of 72
Most frequent serious events
EventPhase I - Lead inPhase II- Cohort APhase II - Cohort B
Skin infectionInfections and infestations1/31/440/48
FallInjury, poisoning and procedural complications1/31/440/48
Back painMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders1/30/440/48
AnemiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders1/30/440/48
FatigueGeneral disorders1/31/440/48
Sinus tachycardiaCardiac disorders1/31/440/48
HypercalcemiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders1/30/440/48
AspirationRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders0/35/447/48
Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified-OtherNeoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)0/36/443/48
Respiratory failureRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders0/35/441/48
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 210
Most frequent other events
EventPhase I - Lead inPhase II- Cohort APhase II - Cohort B
Rash acneiformSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders3/321/4431/48
AnemiaBlood and lymphatic system disorders2/35/4414/48
Cardiac disorders - OtherCardiac disorders2/30/440/48
FatigueGeneral disorders2/317/4415/48
Generalized muscle weaknessMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders2/33/442/48
HypophosphatemiaMetabolism and nutrition disorders2/37/4414/48
InsomniaPsychiatric disorders2/35/448/48
Dry SkinSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/39/4423/48
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders - OtherSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders0/39/4419/48
ConstipationGastrointestinal disorders0/316/447/48

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Phase I - Lead inPhase II - Cohort APhase II - Cohort BTotal
<=18 years0000
Between 18 and 65 years2243258
>=65 years1201637
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Phase I - Lead inPhase II - Cohort APhase II - Cohort BTotal
Female171523
Male2373372
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Phase I - Lead inPhase II - Cohort APhase II - Cohort BTotal
Hispanic or Latino0224
Not Hispanic or Latino3414589
Unknown or Not Reported0112
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Phase I - Lead inPhase II - Cohort APhase II - Cohort BTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native0000
Asian0112
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0000
Black or African American0336
White3394284
More than one race0000
Unknown or Not Reported0123
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Phase I - Lead inPhase II - Cohort APhase II - Cohort BTotal
United States3444895
08

Study locations

3 sites
  • H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
    Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
  • Emory University School of Medicine
    Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
  • The Ohio State University
    Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Park R, Rind F, Kristoff T, Li J, Schell M, Slebos RJC, Thatikonda S, Chaudhary R, Biernacki MI, Meshkovska Y, Kaldas D, Kim HS, Farinhas J, Hernandez-Prera J, Kirtane K, Hall MS, Amelio AL, Rocco JW, Bhateja P, Steuer C, Bonomi M, Saba NF, Chung CH. Evaluation of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With a Combination of Cetuximab and Nivolumab in a Phase II Clinical Trial. Am J Clin Oncol. 2026 Apr 1;49(4):176-187. doi: 10.1097/COC.0000000000001255. Epub 2025 Sep 4. PubMed 40905435 ↗
  • Wang X, Muzaffar J, Kirtane K, Song F, Johnson M, Schell MJ, Li J, Yoder SJ, Conejo-Garcia JR, Guevara-Patino JA, Bonomi M, Bhateja P, Rocco JW, Steuer CE, Saba NF, Chung CH. T cell repertoire in peripheral blood as a potential biomarker for predicting response to concurrent cetuximab and nivolumab in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. J Immunother Cancer. 2022 Jun;10(6):e004512. doi: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004512. PubMed 35676062 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Dec 2017 to primary completion in Sep 2021, 44 months.

Results were first posted in Dec 2022, 1 year 3 months after primary completion.

Of 45 non-industry phase 1/2 interventional studies under Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck, half reached primary completion within 62 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 51 and three quarters within 83. This study's 44 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 138 studies reached it within 61 months; a quarter within 47 and three quarters within 82.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Dec 7, 2017
First posted
Dec 12, 2017
StartActual
Dec 20, 2017
Primary completionActual
Sep 4, 2021
CompletionActual
Dec 23, 2023
Results first posted
Dec 20, 2022
Last update
Apr 2, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 2, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03370276
Collaborators
James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program, Eli Lilly and Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 12, 2017
Start date
Dec 20, 2017
Primary completion
Sep 4, 2021
Completion
Dec 23, 2023
Results posted
Dec 20, 2022
Last update
Apr 2, 2026

Study contacts

Christine H. Chung, M.D.
principal investigator · H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drugs tested here: Nivolumab · Cetuximab

Start the discussion