Patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin are often bad responders to conventional chemotherapy included cisplatin.~The investigation of the EGFR expression may allow identifying new molecular targets for novel therapeutic strategies in patients with locally advanced or metastatic SCC of the skin.~Several publications in the literature for primary lesions and one publication for metastatic lesions showed that EGFR was expressed in 80-90% of SCC of the skin. Immunohistochemistry studies performed at the Gustave Roussy Institute confirm these data: they found an over-expression of EGFR in 90% of patients with metastatic disease. These results are in favor of the investigation of cetuximab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic SCC of the skin expressing EGFR.~Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody targeted against EGFR administered weekly by intravenous route; it may be prescribed as out hospital to patients with locally advanced or metastatic SCC of the skin expressing EGFR.~Due to the low occurrence of locally advanced or metastatic SCC of the skin, a multicenter trial will be required.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether cetuximab is effective in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the skin expressing EGFR.