In conclusion, there is a frequent expression of HIF-1α in this series of breast cancer from an African population, which is significantly associated with strong Axl co-expression in addition to associations with other factors of poor prognosis like VEGF expression and increased angiogenesis, high tumor cell proliferation by Ki-67 rate, p53 expression, as well as high histologic tumor grade. The gene discussed is AXL; the disease is neoplasm.