Torisel in Addition to Standard Chemotherapy With Radiation for Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

All patients will receive temsirolimus. The dose of temsirolimus in this study will range from 15-25 mg depending on the dose level. Temsirolimus will be infused over a 30-60 minute period once a week for the duration of radiation therapy.

"All patients will receive cetuximab. An initial loading dose of cetuximab 400 mg/m2, intravenously over 120 minutes at least 4 days before radiation therapy but no more than 7 days before the start of radiation therapy.~Thereafter, cetuximab will be infused at 250 mg/m2 dose over 60 minutes weekly for the duration of radiation therapy."

All patients in Cohort A will receive cisplatin. The dose will be 20 mg/m2 or 30 mg/m2 depending upon the dose level.

Patients will be treated on a linear accelerator fitted with multi-leaf collimators with 1.6-2.3 Gy fractions delivered daily 5 days per week over 4-7 weeks to a cumulative dose of 66 Gy. A variance of +/- 10% in this nominal prescription dose is allowable and will depend on the extent of residual disease, at the discretion of the attending radiation oncologist.