Temsirolimus is an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a crucial regulator of cell cycle progression. It was approved in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. Temsirolimus demonstrated also antitumor activity in a variety of other human cancer models, such as gliomas, rhabdomyosarcomas, neuroblastomas, prostata and breast cancer through induction of apoptosis or inhibition of proliferation. A similar effect was noted in HNSCC cell lines.~This is the first study evaluating the efficacy and safety of temsirolimus in platinum/cetuximab-refractory HNSCC.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether temsirolimus is effective in the treatment of relapsed/recurrent squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC)