Cetuximab and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III-IV Head and Neck Cancer

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 supraclavicul…