Further, Tan et al suggested that HO‐1 induction enhances doxorubicin resistance of breast cancer cells via promoting autophagy,7 while others confirmed HO‐1 induction shows a cytoprotective autophagy in breast cancer cells.7 In our study, the results showed that the autophagy and pharmorubicin resistance of breast cancer cells were induced by promoting HO‐1 expression. This evidence concerns the gene HMOX1 and breast carcinoma.