Study Comparing Two Treatments in Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma not amenable to curative treatment with surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or radiation.
2. At least one measurable lesion by MRI or CT-scan according to RECIST 1.1.
3. Progressive disease within 1 year after first line platinum-based chemotherapy given either as a part of the multimodal curative treatment or in the palliative setting.
4. ECOG performance status 0 -2, in stable medical condition
5. Patients must have an expected survival of at least 3 months
6. Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue available for immunohistochemistry but not mandatory
7. Patients must be over 18 years old and must be able to give written informed consent.
8. Women of child-bearing age or sexually active female patients with reproductive potential must have a negative pregnancy test (serum or urine within the 7 days prior to enrollment).
9. Patients must have adequate organ function (Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/100 ml, Neutrophils ≥ 1,500/mm3, Platelets ≥ 100,000/mm3, total bilirubin \<1 time the upper limit of normal (ULN) for age, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) \< 1.5 1.5 x ULN for age, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \< 1.5 ´ ULN for age , serum creatinine \<1.5 x ULN for age.
10. Signed informed consent prior to beginning protocol specific procedure.
11. Sexually active patients must use effective contraception during the period of therapy and up to 150 days after the last treatment dose. Acceptable contraception includes, but is not limited to: oral hormone therapy, partner vasectomy, or double barrier contraception (which is defined as a male condom plus spermicide in combination with either a female condom, or diaphragm, or cervical cap or intrauterine device)

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Non-squamous head and neck cancer
2. Nasopharynx cancer
3. More than two lines of chemotherapy for palliative treatment
4. Surgery or investigational drugs or chemotherapy within 4 weeks before study inclusion. Curative radiation therapy (60-70 Gy) within 8 weeks. For palliative radiation therapy (i.e 8 Gy on a painful lesion) no delay is needed.
5. Previous treatment with cabazitaxel
6. Significant active cardiac disease including: uncontrolled high blood pressure according to the CTCAE 4 grading, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction within the previous 6 months, or serious cardiac arrhythmias
7. Other uncontrolled illnesses (active infections requiring antibiotics, bleeding disorders, uncontrolled diabetes …)
8. Previous malignancy from which the patient has been disease-free for \< 5years, as other than SCCHN.
9. Previous treatments with taxanes and/or anti-EGFR therapy are not an exclusion criteria.
10. Active grade \> 2 peripheral neuropathy
11. Active grade \> 2 stomatitis
12. Known brain or leptomeningeal involvement
13. History of severe hypersensitivity reaction (\> grade 3) to polysorbate 80 containing drugs
14. Concurrent or planned treatment with strong inhibitors of cytochrome P450 3A/5. A one-week washout period is necessary for patients who are already on these treatments.
15. Organic brain syndrome or significant psychiatric abnormality that would preclude participation in the full protocol and follow up.