Antitumor effect and enhancement of cytotoxic drug activity by cetuximab in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common head and neck cancer in southern China and South East Asia. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been proposed as a new target for anticancer therapy. EGFR was over-expressed in 85% of NPC tissues and was associated with poor prognosis.