Inclusion Criteria:

          -  Histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx or larynx

          -  Stage III/IVa/b squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by American Joint Committee on Cancer
             (AJCC) 7 criteria (advanced, but not metastatic)

          -  Patients must give informed consent

          -  Patients must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =<
             2

          -  Platelets >= 100,000/uL

          -  Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500/uL

          -  Hemoglobin > 8 g/dl (use of transfusion to achieve this is acceptable)

          -  Total bilirubin < 2 X institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)

          -  Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase
             [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT])
             =< 3 X institutional ULN

          -  Serum creatinine < 2 x institutional ULN or creatinine clearance > 50 ml/min as
             determined by 24 hour collection or estimated by Cockcroft-Gault formula

          -  Estimated life expectancy of at least 12 weeks

          -  Negative pregnancy test

        Exclusion Criteria:

          -  Patients may not have received previous therapy for their head and neck SCC, including
             chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery beyond biopsy

          -  Second primary malignancy; exceptions are 1) patient had a second primary malignancy
             but has been treated and disease free for at least 3 years, 2) in situ carcinoma (e.g.
             in situ carcinoma of the cervix), 3) non-melanomatous carcinoma of the skin

          -  Patients with metastatic disease beyond the neck and supraclavicular region will be
             excluded

          -  Serious concomitant systemic disorders (including active infections) that would
             compromise the safety of the patient or compromise the patient's ability to complete
             the study, at the discretion of the investigator; this includes scleroderma

          -  History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic
             composition to cetuximab or cisplatinum or other agents used in the study

          -  Women who are pregnant; women of childbearing age must agree to undergo a pregnancy
             test prior to therapy and to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of
             birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study
             participation and for 6 months after; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is
             pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician
             immediately

          -  Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are not automatically
             excluded, but must meet the following criteria: cluster of differentiation (CD)4 count
             is > 499/cu mm and their viral load is < 50 copies/ml; use of highly active
             anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is allowed

          -  Patients who have had either myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft,
             coronary artery stenting, hospital admission for heart related issues such as
             congestive heart failure or arrhythmia within the last 3 months, will not be allowed
             on protocol

          -  Grade 3-4 electrolyte abnormalities (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events
             [CTCAE], version [v]. 4):

               -  Serum calcium (ionized or adjusted for albumin) < 7 mg/dl (1.75 mmol/L) or > 12.5
                  mg/dl (> 3.1 mmol/L) despite intervention to normalize levels

               -  Magnesium < 0.9 mg/dl (< 0.4 mmol/L) or > 3 mg/dl (> 1.23 mmol/L) despite
                  intervention to normalize levels

               -  Potassium < 3.5 mmol/L or > 6 mmol/L despite intervention to normalize levels

               -  Sodium < 130 mmol/L or > 155 mmol/L despite intervention to normalize levels