Combination of Cisplatin, Cetuximab and Temsirolimus in Recurrent or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

This study will accrue in two "phases". During the first "phase" of the study, the optimal dose of temsirolimus in combination with cisplatin and cetuximab will be determined. It is expected that between 9-12 patients will be needed for this dose finding phase. Once the optimal dose has been determined, an additional 41 patients will be enrolled in the second "phase" of the study. The primary purpose of second phase of the study is to learn what effects, good and/or bad, temsirolimus in combination with cisplatin and cetuximab has on recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer. Collection of additional blood and tissue specimens will make it possible to do special tests, which will provide us information about how tumors respond to the chemotherapy, how your body breaks down and processes the drug, how differences in the genetic makeup of each person affects how the drug may work and is processed in the body, and how the drug affects proteins and cells in the body. We hope to determine if results of the specialized tests done on blood will help to predict which patients are more likely to benefit from the use of the drugs used in this study.