Homeobox B7 (HOXB7) has been found to be overexpressed in numerous types of human cancer. However, the role of HOXB7 in breast cancer remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of HOXB7 on the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells. Initially, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were respectively employed to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of the HOXB7 gene in the MDA‑MB‑231 and MCF‑7 human breast cancer cell lines. Subsequently, small interfering RNAs designed to interfere with the expression of HOXB7 were used to knockdown the expression of HOXB7 in the MCF‑7 cell line, the effects of which on cell proliferation, the apoptotic rate and invasion capacity were measured using a Cell Counting kit‑8 assay, flow cytometry and transwell chambers, respectively. The results demonstrated that HOXB7 mRNA and protein were all overexpressed in MDA‑MB‑231 and MCF‑7 breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, HOXB7‑S3 effectively inhibited the proliferation and invasion of MCF‑7 breast cancer cells. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that HOXB7 may be a potential therapeutic target in human breast cancer.