Human epidermal growth factor receptor dimerization analysis in breast cancer diagnosis: potential for improving testing accuracy and treatment selection.

Our understanding of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family of proteins has increased over the last few decades. It is clear from the vast assortment of research that has been and is currently being carried out that there is still a lot to be learned. HER dimerization is known to activate various downstream pathways that have an effect on treatment and therapy for breast cancer. HER dimerization acts as a mechanism not only for amplifying the signal pathway but also for signal diversification. There is clear evidence that molecular subtypes of cancer respond differently to different therapeutic options, which challenges the 'one size fits all' approach to chemotherapy in cancer. Here, we review the methods by which HER dimerization can be explored and the potential that this has in the treatment of breast cancer.