Adjuvant Cetuximab and Chemoradiotherapy Using Either Cisplatin or Docetaxel in Treating Patients With Resected Stage III or Stage IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma or Lymphoepithelioma of the Head and Neck

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck meeting the following criteria:

  * Site of tumor origin in the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx (excluding lip, nasopharynx, or sinuses)
  * Gross total resection must be completed within 7 weeks of randomization, with pathology demonstrating one or more of the following risk factors:

    * Histologic extracapsular nodal extension
    * Histologic involvement of ≥ 2 regional lymph nodes
    * Invasive cancer seen on microscopic evaluation of the resection margin, with no evidence of gross tumor residual.
    * Tonsillar cancer patients who undergo transoral excision of all gross tumor are eligible provided extracapsular nodal extension or involvement of ≥ 2 regional lymph nodes is histologically confirmed
  * American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) pathological stage III or IV
* No evidence of distant metastases
* No synchronous or concurrent head and neck primary tumors

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

* 18 and over

Performance status

* Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 2,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3
* Hemoglobin \> 8.0 g/dL

Hepatic

* Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase meeting 1 of the following parameters:

  * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ ULN AND AST or ALT ≤ 5 times ULN
  * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 2.5 times ULN AND AST or ALT ≤ 1.5 times ULN
  * Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times ULN AND AST or ALT ≤ ULN

Renal

* Creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL

Cardiovascular

* No unstable angina
* No uncontrolled hypertension
* No myocardial infarction within the past 6 months (unless successfully treated with coronary artery bypass surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty)
* No uncontrolled arrhythmia
* No congestive heart failure
* No more than 2 heart-related hospitalizations within the past year
* No other active cardiac disease

Pulmonary

* No more than 2 hospitalizations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease within the past year

Neurologic

* No pre-existing peripheral neuropathy ≥ grade 2
* No uncontrolled seizure disorder
* No active neurological disease

Other

* No prior severe hypersensitivity reaction to docetaxel or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
* No other invasive malignancy within the past 3 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Negative pregnancy test
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

* No prior anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody therapy

Chemotherapy

* More than 3 years since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy

* Not specified

Radiotherapy

* No prior head and neck radiotherapy

Surgery

* See Disease Characteristics

Other

* No prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy