Erbitux Approved to Treat Head and Neck Cancers

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The drug Erbitux has been approved to treat head and neck cancer, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The drug, which received FDA approval in 2004 to treat colorectal cancer, may now be used in combination with radiation to treat squamous cell cancer of the head and neck that can't be surgically removed, the Associated Press reported.

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The FDA also approved Erbitux for treatment of patients with head and neck cancer whose cancer has spread despite treatment with chemotherapy.

The approval, announced Wednesday, was based on a study that found that a combination of the drug and radiation therapy extended the lives of head and neck cancer patients by 20 months.