As with our results, Tanimura et al. have demonstrated that the combination therapy of ALK-TKIs with the pan-HER inhibitor afatinib increased cell sensitivity to the ALK-TKIs in ALK + NSCLC cell lines with a mesenchymal-like phenotype and prevented tumor regrowth in mouse xenograft models through the prevention of the development of ALK-TKI-tolerant cells by HER3 activation14. This evidence concerns the gene ALK and non-small cell lung carcinoma.