OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the percentage of patients for whom a complete course of therapy can be administered using targeted supradose cisplatin chemoradiation in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. II. Determine the partial and complete response rate of cisplatin chemoradiation. III. Determine the incidence of adverse events using cisplatin chemoradiation therapy. IV. Determine the rate of disease-free survival and overall survival in these patients. V. Determine the incidence and pattern of recurrence in these patients. VI. Document quality of life measured by disease-specific instruments in these patients.