We demonstrate that treatment of human embryonic kidney cells, alveolar epithelial cells, human breast cancer cells or colon cancer cells with heat, or TRPV1 agonists, capsaicin or RTX, induced the accumulation of Hsp70, Hsp90 and Hsp27, and Hsp70 and Hsp90, respectively, which are hallmarks of the cellular heat-shock response. Here, TRPV1 is linked to breast carcinoma.