As anticipated, our data showed that the silencing of HIF-1α by miRNA inhibited survivin expression in A549 cells under hypoxic conditions, which is in accordance with another study showing HIF-1α siRNA to block EGF-induced survivin upregulation and to increase apoptosis induced by docetaxel in breast cancer cell lines under normoxia (19). This evidence concerns the gene BIRC5 and breast carcinoma.