Bonner trial (cetuximab plus radiotherapy)
The Bonner trial was the first to show that a targeted antibody improves survival when added to radiotherapy: cetuximab with radiotherapy lengthened survival in head and neck cancer, and became the option for patients who cannot have cisplatin.
Overview
Bonner and colleagues randomised 424 patients with stage III or IV squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx or larynx to high-dose radiotherapy alone or with weekly cetuximab. Median overall survival was 49.0 months with cetuximab versus 29.3 months (hazard ratio 0.74), and locoregional control improved, with an acneiform rash but no increase in mucositis (New England Journal of Medicine 2006). Later trials (RTOG 1016, De-ESCALaTE) showed cetuximab is inferior to cisplatin in HPV-positive disease, so its role is in cisplatin-unfit patients.
- Median 49 vs 29.3 months with Radiotherapy plus cetuximab compared with Radiotherapy alone; about 19.7 months longer for half the group.
- A median is a midpoint: half the people did better than this and half did worse, so it is not a prediction for any one person.
- Overall survival counts deaths from any cause, so it is the most direct measure of whether a treatment helps people live longer.
- These results apply to the people the trial enrolled: Locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: radiotherapy with or without cetuximab. People in a different situation may not see the same effect.
Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.
424 participants enrolled.
| Endpoint | Arm | n | Value | HR (95% CI) | p | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locoregional control (primary) and overall survivalprimary | Radiotherapy plus cetuximab | 211 | 49 months | - | - | - |
| Radiotherapy alone | 213 | 29.3 months |
Similar pages
not linked directly; found by shared links- TrialDe-ESCALaTE HPV
Shares Oropharyngeal cancer (tonsil and base of tongue), Cetuximab, IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam), Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the tag radiation-wave4.
- TrialRTOG 1016
Shares Oropharyngeal cancer (tonsil and base of tongue), Cetuximab, IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam), Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the tag radiation-wave4.
- TrialRTOG 91-11
Shares Radiosensitisers, IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam), Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and the tag radiation-wave4.
- TrialACT II
Shares Radiosensitisers, IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam) and the tag radiation-wave4.
- TrialCROSS
Shares Radiosensitisers, IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam) and the tag radiation-wave4.
- TrialPOP-RT
Shares IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam) and the tag radiation-wave4.
- TrialRTOG 9601
Shares IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam) and the tag radiation-wave4.
- TrialCAO/ARO/AIO-94 (German Rectal Cancer Study)
Shares IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam) and the tag radiation-wave4.