Study to Determine the Maximum Tolerated Dose of BIBW 2992 (Afatinib) When Combined With Cisplatin/Paclitaxel or Cisplatin/5-FU in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumours

Inclusion criteria:

1. Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of non resectable and / or metastatic cancer, preferably squamous cell carcinomas of head and neck, oesophagus, lung or cervix
2. Indication for a standard treatment with either cisplatin plus paclitaxel or cisplatin plus 5 FU as judged by the investigator
3. Age 18 years or older.
4. Life expectancy of at least three (3) months.
5. Written informed consent that is consistent with ICH-GCP guidelines.
6. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score less or equal 2.
7. Patients must have recovered from any therapy-related toxicity from previous chemo-, hormone-, immuno-, or radiotherapies.
8. Patients recovered from previous surgery.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Active infectious disease.
2. Gastrointestinal disorders that may interfere with the absorption of the study drug or chronic diarrhoea.
3. Serious illness or concomitant non-oncological disease considered by the investigator to be incompatible with the protocol.
4. Patients with untreated or symptomatic brain metastases. Patients with treated, asymptomatic brain metastases are eligible if there has been no change in brain disease status for at least four (4) weeks, no history of cerebral oedema or bleeding in the past four (4) weeks and no requirement for steroids or anti-epileptic therapy.
5. Cardiac left ventricular function with resting ejection fraction less than 50%
6. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 1500 / mm3.
7. Platelets count less than 100 000/mm3.
8. Bilirubin more than 1.5 x upper limit of institutional norm.
9. Aspartate amino transferase (AST) or alanine amino transferase (ALT) more than 3 x upper limit of institutional norm.
10. Serum creatinine more than 1.5 x upper limit of institutional norm.
11. Women and men sexually active and unwilling to use a medically acceptable method of contraception.
12. Pregnancy or breast-feeding.
13. Treatment with other investigational drugs; chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy or participation in another clinical study with anti-cancer therapy within the past 4 weeks before start of therapy or concomitantly with this study.
14. Treatment with an EGFR- or HER2 inhibiting drug within the past four weeks before start of therapy or concomitantly with this study (2 weeks for trastuzumab).
15. Patients unable to comply with the protocol.
16. Active alcohol or drug abuse.