Inclusion Criteria:

   - Pathologically (histologically or cytologically) proven diagnosis of head and neck
   squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) involving the oral cavity (excluding lips), oropharynx
   (p16 negative), larynx, or hypopharynx within 63 days of registration

   - Patients must have undergone gross total surgical resection of high-risk oral cavity,
   oropharynx (p16 negative), larynx, or hypopharynx within 63 days prior to registration

   - Patients must have at least 1 of the following high-risk pathologic features:
   extracapsular nodal extension or invasive cancer at the primary tumor resection margin
   (tumor or ink)

   - Pathologic stage III or IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), including no
   distant metastases, based upon the following minimum diagnostic workup:

      - General history and physical examination by a radiation oncologist and/or medical
      oncologist within 84 days prior to registration;

      - Examination by an ear nose throat (ENT) or head & neck surgeon prior to surgery;
      a laryngopharyngoscopy (mirror and/or fiber optic and/or direct procedure), if
      appropriate is recommended but not required. Intra-operative examination is
      acceptable documentation.

      - Pre-op Imaging of the head and neck: A neck computed tomography (CT) (with
      contrast) or CT/positron emission tomography (PET) (with contrast) and/or an
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the neck (T1 with Gadolinium and T2) within
      84 days prior to surgery; note: this imaging data (diagnostic pre-operative scan
      showing gross disease) is to be submitted in Digital Imaging and Communications
      in Medicine (DICOM) format via TRIAD; the report is to be uploaded into Rave

      - Chest CT scan (with or without contrast) or CT/PET that includes the chest (with
      or without contrast) either within 84 days prior to surgery or within 120 days
      prior to registration; NOTE: If the CT/PET with or without contrast is done
      within 84 days prior to surgery, if fulfills the chest imaging requirement.

   - Zubrod performance status of 0-1 within 14 days prior to registration

   - Absolute granulocyte count (AGC) >= 1,500 cells/mm^3

   - Platelets >= 100,000 cells/mm^3

   - Hemoglobin >= 8.0 g/dl (Note: The use of transfusion or other intervention to achieve
   hemoglobin [Hgb] >= 8.0 g/dl is acceptable)

   - Total bilirubin < 2 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) within 14 days prior
   to registration

   - Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 3 x institutional
   ULN within 14 days prior to registration

   - Serum creatinine institutional ULN within 14 days prior to registration or; creatinine
   clearance (CC) >= 50 ml/min within 14 days prior to registration determined by 24-hour
   collection or estimated by Cockcroft-Gault formula

   - Negative serum or urine pregnancy test within 14 days prior to registration for women
   of childbearing potential

   - The following assessments are required within 14 days prior to registration: sodium
   (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), glucose, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and
   albumin; Note: Patients with an initial magnesium < 0.5 mmol/L (1.2 mg/dl) may receive
   corrective magnesium supplementation but should continue to receive either
   prophylactic weekly infusion of magnesium and/or oral magnesium supplementation (eg,
   magnesium oxide) at the investigator's discretion

   - Patients with feeding tubes are eligible for the study

   - Women of childbearing potential and male participants who are sexually active must
   agree to use a medically effective means of birth control

   - Patient must provide study specific informed consent prior to study entry, including
   consent for mandatory tissue submission for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
   analysis and for oropharyngeal cancer patients, human papilloma virus (HPV) analysis

Exclusion Criteria:

   - Prior invasive malignancy (except non-melanomatous skin cancer) unless disease free
   for a minimum of 1095 days (3 years); noninvasive cancers (for example, carcinoma in
   situ of the breast, oral cavity, or cervix are all permissible) are permitted even if
   diagnosed and treated < 3 years ago

   - Patients with simultaneous primaries or bilateral tumors are excluded, with the
   exception of patients with bilateral tonsil cancers or patients with T1-2, N0, M0
   resected differentiated thyroid carcinoma, who are eligible

   - Prior systemic chemotherapy or anti-epidermal growth factor (EGF) therapy for the
   study cancer; note that prior chemotherapy for a different cancer is allowable

   - Prior radiotherapy to the region of the study cancer that would result in overlap of
   radiation therapy fields

   - Severe, active co-morbidity, defined as follows:

      - Unstable angina and/or congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization within
      6 months prior to registration

      - Transmural myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to registration

      - Acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring intravenous antibiotics at the time
      of registration

      - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness
      requiring hospitalization or precluding study therapy at the time of registration

      - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or other severe interstitial lung disease that
      requires oxygen therapy or is thought to require oxygen therapy within 1 year
      prior to registration

      - Hepatic insufficiency resulting in clinical jaundice and/or coagulation defects;
      note, however, that laboratory tests for coagulation parameters are not required
      for entry into this protocol

      - Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) based upon current Centers for Disease
      and Control (CDC) definition; note: HIV testing is not required for entry into
      this protocol; the need to exclude patients with AIDS from this protocol is
      necessary because the treatments involved in this protocol may be significantly
      immunosuppressive; protocol-specific requirements may also exclude
      immuno-compromised patients

   - Grade 3-4 electrolyte abnormalities (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events
   [CTCAE], 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

   - Glucose < 40 mg/dl (< 2.2 mmol/L) or > 250 mg/dl (> 14mmol/L)

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

   - Potassium < 3.0 mmol/L or > 6 mmol/L despite intervention to normalize levels

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

   - Pregnancy or women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active and not
   willing/able to use medically acceptable forms of contraception; this exclusion is
   necessary because the treatment involved in this study may be significantly
   teratogenic

   - Prior allergic reaction to cetuximab