Although some studies have shown that miRNA-138 negatively regulates HIF1α to affect the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma (Chen et al., 2016) and ovarian cancer (Yeh et al., 2013), it is not clear whether the relationship in human melanoma tissues is established and the therapy for targeting miRNA-138 and HIF1α is effective. The gene discussed is HIF1A; the disease is melanoma.