• To find the highest safe dose of the drugs OSI-774 and docetaxel that can be given together along with radiation treatment for advanced head and neck cancer. [ Time Frame: 4 Years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  

• This research will also look at how participants respond to this treatment and the side effects they experience while on it. [ Time Frame: 4 Years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  
• Assess response to treatment, time to local, regional, and distant failure, and overall survival [ Time Frame: 4 Years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Also study the effect of swallowing function before treatment and in the follow-up period. [ Time Frame: 4 Years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Optional Procedure: to provide an additional blood sample that will be stored in a tissue bank. [ Time Frame: 4 Years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with histological proof (from the primary lesion and/or lymph nodes) of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx.
• Patients should have stage III or IV disease, staged T3-4 and/or N2-3, M0
• Patients must have a Karnofsky performance status of >/= 70.
• Age >/= 18 years.
• No hematogenous metastatic disease.
• Patients should have adequate bone marrow function defined as an absolute peripheral granulocyte count (AGC) of > 1500 cells/mm^3 and platelet count of > 100,000 cells/mm^3; adequate hepatic function with total bilirubin </= ULN, SGOT and SGPT may be up to 2.5 times the upper limit of normal if alkaline phosphatase is normal. Alkaline phosphatase may be up to 4x ULN if SGPT and SGOT are normal. Patients who have SGPT > 1.5 ULN and alkaline phosphatase > 2.5 x ULN are not eligible.

• Creatinine clearance > 50 ml/min determined by 24 hour collection or nomogram:

  • CrCl male = (140 - age) x (wt. as kg)/serum Cr x 72;
  • CrCl female = 0.85 x (CrCl male).
• Patients must not have received previous treatment (surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy) except biopsy for the tumor under study.

Patients with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer, or other previous malignancies treated 5 years or more prior to the current tumor from which the patient has remained continually disease-free, are eligible.

• Patients must sign a study-specific informed consent form.
• Men and women of childbearing potential must be willing to consent to using effective contraception while on treatment and for 6 months thereafter.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Histology other than squamous cell carcinoma.
• Evidence of metastases (below the clavicle or distant) by clinical or radiographic means.
• Karnofsky performance status < 70
• Prior chemotherapy or therapy with inhibitors of EGFR
• Prior radiotherapy to the head and neck
• Patients with simultaneous primaries.
• Patients with a past history of malignancy (excluding non melanoma skin cancers, and cancers treated > 5 years prior for which patient remains continuously disease free).
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women are ineligible.
• Patients refusing or unable to sign the informed consent.
• Patients with pre-existing peripheral neuropathy National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI CTC) grade 2 or worse.
• Patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity reaction to Taxotere® and or polysorbate 80 must be excluded.
• Patients may not use ketoconazole, St. John's Wort, or erythromycin.