To our knowledge, several lncRNAs associated with breast cancer prognosis have been identified, including HOTAIR, which regulates cancer cell proliferation and invasion16,17, MALAT1, which has been correlated with breast cancer metastasis18,19, H19, which is involved in various functions during the complex process of tumour progression20–22, and other CCAT223,24, MCM3AP-AS1 and PCAT25. This evidence concerns the gene HOTAIR and breast cancer.