Investigation of Cetuximab Pretreatment Effects on Cisplatin or Sunitinib Cytotoxicity in Head and Neck Carcinoma Cells in vitro.

Introduction Chemotherapy is a known treatment option for head and neck carcinomas. Cisplatin is used as monotherapy or in combination with cetuximab in aggressive cases while sunitinib has shown effective alone or in combination with cetuximab. Although these agents exert their effect through membrane drug transporters, the molecular mechanism behind cetuximab’s effect on cisplatin and sunitinib cytotoxicity in treating head and neck cancer is unclear. In vitro models of head and neck carcinoma and normal oral epithelium are used to explore these pharmacological ambiguities.