miR‐148a performs the common functions of many miRNA species and is implicated in a series of biological processes including cellular proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis and invasion.8 In breast cancer cells, the ERK signalling pathway is the key downstream pathway of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) and plays an important role in angiogenesis and cancer development. This evidence concerns the gene HIF1A and breast cancer.