The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of a panel of human breast cancer cell lines to treatment with various reversible and irreversible HER-family inhibitors, alone and in combination with other treatments including an IGF-1R inhibitor (NVP-AEW541), a c-Met/ALK inhibitor (crizotinib), an Abl-Bcr/c-Kit inhibitor (imatinib), an Abl-Bcr/Src family inhibitor (dasatinib) and the chemotherapeutic agents paclitaxel and gemcitabine. The gene discussed is ALK; the disease is breast carcinoma.