Relationship between altered expression levels of MIR21, MIR143, MIR145, and MIR205 and clinicopathologic features of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

In spite of the undisputed importance of altered expression patterns of microRNAs (miRNAs) in various cancers, there is little information on the clinicopathologic significance of cancer‐related miRNAs (MIR21, MIR143, MIR144, MIR145, and MIR205) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We examined the expression levels of the precursor and mature miRNA genes in ESCC using real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We also investigated the mRNA expression levels of processing elements (RNASEN, DGCR8, and DICER1) that participate in miRNA‐biogenesis pathway. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationships between the expression levels of these five miRNAs and the clinicopathologic parameters of ESCC patients. The expression levels of mature MIR21 and mature MIR145 were higher in ESCC than those in normal epithelium (P < 0.05). The mature/pre ratio of MIR21 in ESCC was higher than that in normal epithelium (P < 0.05). With regard to miRNA‐processing elements, the expression level of RNASEN was higher in ESCC than in normal epithelium (P < 0.05). Furthermore, altered expression of these miRNAs was related to the clinicopathologic features of ESCC patients. The high expression of mature MIR21 and mature MIR205 was associated with lymph node positivity in ESCC patients (P < 0.05). The high levels of expression of mature MIR143 and mature MIR145 were associated with recurrence of metastasis in ESCC patients (P < 0.05). The findings may imply that miRNA biogenesis is aberrantly accelerated in ESCC. Analysis of the expression levels of miRNAs should provide useful information for evaluation of the staging, prognosis, and treatment of ESCC patients.     

Clinical effect of E‐series of prostaglandin receptor 2 and epidermal growth factor receptor signal pathways in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Signal pathways mediated by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and E‐series of prostaglandin receptors (EPs) are closely correlated to the pathogenesis of tumor. This experiment was designed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of EP2 and EGFR in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Tissue samples were collected reterospectively from 87 patients with ESCC (first diagnosed). The patients were followed up for 5 years after radical surgery. The expression of EP‐2 and EGFR were examined by tissue chip technology and immunohistochemistry methods. Clinicopathological and prognostic impact were evaluated. Overexpression of EGFR and EP‐2 was more observed in ESCC than the control group (58.6% vs. 13.9%; 52.9% vs. 4.88%, P < 0.001, respectively); which correlated with tumor infiltration depth, lymph node metastasis, and tumor‐lymph node‐metastasis staging. Both the EP‐2 and EGFR overexpression were detected in 39 specimens and exhibited the positive correlation (P < 0.001, r = 0.404). Overexpression of EP2 and EGFR exhibited significant correlation with worse 5‐year overall survival than those with negative result (17.6% vs. 27.8%, P = 0.011; 10.9% vs. 34.1%, P < 0.001, respectively). Cox proportional hazard model showed that the T‐staging, lymph node metastasis, and EGFR overexpression were the independent risk factors of the prognosis. The present study exhibited that the overexpression of EP2 and EGFR in ESCC tissues might play an important role in carcinogenesis and the progression of ESCC.     

The expression of CXCR4 and its relationship with matrix metalloproteinase‐9/vascular endothelial growth factor in esophageal squamous cell cancer

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a highly aggressive neoplasm with poor prognosis. The main reason for this disappointing outcome is the strong behavior of esophageal cancer cell's invasion and metastasis. CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) was found to be expressed in many tumors and significantly correlated with invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and prognosis. In the present study, we investigated the expressions of CXCR4, matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and analyzed the relationship among the three proteins. Sections of paraffin‐embedded tissues were obtained from 127 patients with ESCC undergoing esophagectomy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University in 2005. The CXCR4, MMP‐9, and VEGF expressions in EC tissues were evaluated according to the immunohistochemical staining area and intensity. The correlations between patients' prognosis and covariates were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier method (univariate analysis) and Cox regression (multivariate analysis). The overall expression rate of CXCR4, MMP‐9, and VEGF was 88.2%, 93.7%, and 79.5%, respectively. CXCR4 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade, tumor size, tumor depth, regional lymph node metastasis, and tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage (P < 0.05). MMP‐9 expression was significantly associated with age and tumor grade (P < 0.05). VEGF expression was significantly associated with tumor grade, tumor depth, and TNM stage (P < 0.05). CXCR4 expression was positively correlated with MMP‐9 expression (P < 0.01, r= 0.365) and VEGF expression (P < 0.01, r= 0.380). However, there was no significant correlation between MMP‐9 and VEGF expression (P > 0.05). In univariate analysis, CXCR4 expression, tumor size, tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage were correlated with patients' prognosis (P < 0.05); in multivariate analysis, tumor size and lymph node metastasis were the independent factors of poor prognosis. CXCR4 was highly expressed in ESCC and correlated with MMP‐9, VEGF, clinicopathological features and prognosis. We speculated CXCR4 play an important role during the progression of this disease and there might be some regulatory mechanism existing between CXCR4 and MMP‐9/VEGF in ESCC.     

Association between positive murine double minute 2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a meta‐analysis

The correlations of murine double minute 2 (MDM2) T309G and esophageal cancer were elucidated because the association between MDM2 expression states and clinicopathological parameters of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is controversial. We conducted a meta‐analysis on studies screened from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Databases that were published before October 2014. All studies describing the association between MDM2 and ESCC were traced. Meta‐analysis was performed using the STATA software (Stata Corp., College Station, TX, USA). A total of 9 studies with 707 cases and 324 controls were included. MDM2 expression was higher in ESCC than in normal esophageal epithelium (odds ratio [OR] 10.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.42–16.78, P < 0.001). High MDM2 expression was associated with early primary tumor stage (T1/T2 vs. T3/T4, OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.38–0.92, P = 0.018) and increased risk of regional lymph node metastasis (N0 vs. N1, OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.03–2.67, P = 0.039). However, no relationship was observed between MDM2 expression and the risk of distant metastasis (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.00–4.36, P = 0.050), and MDM2 was not significantly correlated with TP53 expression (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.53–2.77, P = 0.643). Our analysis suggests that MDM2 acts as a potent marker of early primary tumor stage but higher risk of regional lymph node metastasis in ESCC. However, because of the limited number of studies included, the result should be further clarified by well‐designed prospective studies.     

Expression and prognostic relevance of p21WAF1 in stage III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The prognostic effect of p21^WAF1 expression on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients is controversial. Further clarifying the effect of this protein is beneficial for optimizing the patient outcomes. In the current study, we investigated the expression of p21^WAF1 protein in 189 specimens of stage III ESCC by immunohistochemistry. As shown by the Kaplan–Meier curve, the overall survival rate of the positive‐expression group was significantly higher than that of the negative‐expression group (P < 0.05). No significant correlation was observed between p21^WAF1 expression and clinicopathological parameters in terms of gender, age, tumor location, tumor grade, pathological stage, and number of regional lymph node metastases (P > 0.05). We concluded that p21^WAF1 played an intricate role in the tumorigenesis and development of ESCC. p21^WAF1 could serve as a positive prognostic predictor for stage III ESCC patients.     

Expression and significance of ASPP2 in squamous carcinoma of esophagus

To study the significance of apoptosis stimulating protein of P53 2 (ASPP2) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), immunohistochemistry S-P method was used to examine the expression of ASPP2 in 136 cases of ESCC, 35 cases of high grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN), 29 cases of low grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN) and 37 cases of normal esophageal epithelium (NEE). The associations of ASPP2 expression with clinicopathological data and overall survival (OS) were also analyzed. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate ASPP2 expression in a total of 20 matched human ESCC tumor tissues and normal adjacent tissues (NAT). In addition, EC109 cells were treated with cisplatin (CDDP) in vitro for 24 h (the intervention group) and the control group was set up at the same time. Western blot was used to examine the expression of ASPP2 protein between the two groups. The expression of ASPP2 decreased progressively from NEE to LGIN, to HGIN, and to ESCC, and it was related to TNM stage, histological differentiation and lymph node metastasis in ESCC (P < 0.05). ASPP2 was a protective factor of patients with ESCC (P = 0.008). The relative expression of ASPP2 mRNA was markedly downregulated in ESCC compared with the paired NAT (P < 0.01). Western blot results showed that cells in the intervention group could express ASPP2 while there was no expression of ASPP2 in the control group. Taken together, these results indicate that the abnormal expression of ASPP2 may play an important role for development and metastasis in ESCC.     

Original article: Upregulation of caspase‐3 expression in esophageal cancer correlates with favorable prognosis: an immunohistochemical study from a high incidence area in northern China

Caspase‐3 plays an important role as the key effector during apoptosis, but there are very few studies of caspase‐3 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of caspase‐3 in ESCC from Linzhou City, a high incidence area in northern China. All 64 patients underwent esophagectomy for ESCC between January 2002 and December were enrolled in this study. Caspase‐3 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in primary ESCC and paired normal esophageal epithelium. The positive rate of caspase‐3 expression was higher in ESCC than in normal esophageal epithelium (79.7% vs. 50.0%, Chi‐square = 12.372, P= 0.001). Caspase‐3 expression was correlated with tumor cell differentiation (Phi = 0.717, P < 0.001), tumor infiltration depth (Phi =?0.334, P= 0.008), and pathologic TNM (pTNM) staging (rs =?0.268, P= 0.032). Patients in caspase‐3 positive group had a significantly better 5‐year overall survival than those in the negative group (77.4% vs. 35.9%, χ²= 7.344, P= 0.007). Our results showed that caspase‐3 expression was upregulated in ESCC compared with normal esophageal epithelium in population of Chinese high incidence area, and patients with caspase‐3 positive expression had better prognosis. Therefore, caspase‐3 immunostaining could be a simple and useful tool for predicting survival in ESCC patients.     

Possible application of flow cytometry for evaluation of the structure and functional status of WASP in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

The Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP), which is defective in Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome (WAS) patients, is an intracellular protein expressed in non‐erythroid hematopoietic cells. Previously, we have established methods to detect intracellular WASP expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) using flow cytometric analysis (FCM‐WASP) and have revealed that WAS patients showed absent or very low level intracellular WASP expression in lymphocytes and monocytes, while a significant amount of WASP was detected in those of normal individuals. We applied these methods for diagnostic screening of WAS patients and WAS carriers, as well as to the evaluation of mixed chimera in WAS patients who had previously undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. During these procedures, we have noticed that lymphocytes from normal control individuals showed dual positive peaks, while their monocytes invariably showed a single sharp WASP‐positive peak. To investigate the basis of the dual positive peaks (WASP^low‐bright and WASP^{high‐bright}), we characterized the constituent linage lymphocytes of these two WASP‐positive populations. As a result, we found each WASP^low/high population comprised different linage PBMNCs. Furthermore, we propose that the difference between the two WASP‐positive peaks did not result from any difference in WASP expression in the cells, but rather from a difference in the structural and functional status of the WASP protein in the cells. It has been shown that WASP may exist in two forms; an activated or inactivated form. Thus, the structural and functional WASP status or configuration could be evaluated by flow cytometric analysis.     

Tumor length assessed by miniprobe endosonography can predict the survival of the advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with stricture receiving concurrent chemoradiation

There were tumor strictures commonly encountered in the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to limit the conventional echoendoscope for exact tumor staging and size measurements. This study evaluated the role of miniprobe endosonography (EUS) to predict the survival of ESCC patients after concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). This study prospectively enrolled ESCC patients to receive high‐frequency miniprobe EUS for the assessments of the tumor size and tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) stage. For the patients defined with advanced stages to receive CCRT as initial therapy, the tumor size parameters assessed by EUS were analyzed for their correlation with the treatment response and the patients' survivals. Fifty‐four patients, >96% with advanced TNM stage III or IV, were enrolled with a medium follow‐up of 320.5 days. Almost all of the 54 cases had partial or complete stricture of the esophageal lumens due to the tumor obstructions at enrollment. The overall median survival was 18.6 months, and the 1‐ and the 2‐year survival rates were 64.9 and 45.2%, respectively. Patients with initial tumor length <6 cm assessed by the pre‐CCRT EUS had a better survival than those with length ≥6 cm (median survival: >56.5 months vs. 11.5 months, P= 0.006). The patients with initial tumor length <6 cm had a higher rate of downstage than those with tumor length ≥6 cm after the first course of CCRT (80.0% vs. 16.7%, P= 0.035). Multivariate Cox regression confirmed the initial tumor length (hazard ratio [HR]= 1.21, P= 0.034) as well as the presence of distal metastasis are both independent predictors of the survival in ESCC patients receiving CCRT. For the ESCC patients, commonly with tumor stricture, the miniprobe EUS to assess tumor length before CCRT can predict the treatment response and the survivals.     

Human papillomavirus type 16 infection may be involved in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma carcinogenesis in Chinese Kazakh patients

The aim of this study was to investigate human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) prevalence in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Xinjiang Kazakh patients and its role in ESCC carcinogenesis. One hundred and fifty cases of ESCC and 150 cases of corresponding normal esophageal mucosa (CNGM) samples were collected from north Xinjiang where the Kazakh ethnic group has lived since ancient times. HPV16 infection in ESCC and CNGM was detected by genotype‐specific polymerase chain reaction. HPV16 DNA was detected in 55 of 150 ESCC samples (36.7%) and 24 of 150 corresponding normal esophageal mucosa samples (16%) with significant differences (P < 0.001, odds ratio = 3.039, 95% confidence interval: 1.756–5.260). No statistically significant correlations were found between HPV16 infection and the age or gender of patients, tumor site, tumor cell differentiation, or lymph node metastasis (P > 0.05). HPV16 infection is common in cases of ESCC in the Kazakh ethnic group in Xinjiang and may be involved in ESCC carcinogenesis.     

Association of mu‐opioid receptor expression with lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The mu‐opioid receptor (MOR), a membrane‐bound G protein‐coupled receptor, is the main target for opioids in the nervous system. MOR1 has been found in several types of cancer cells and reported to be involved in tumor progression and metastasis. However, the expression and clinical significance of MOR1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unclear. In our study, the expression of MOR1 was confirmed in ESCC cell lines (KYSE180, KYSE150, and EC109) by Western blot. MOR1 was also detected on tissue microarrays of ESCC samples in 239 cases using immunohistochemical staining. We found that MOR1 was mainly located in the cytoplasm and occasionally occurred in the membrane or nucleus of ESCC cells. Moreover, results indicated that MOR1 expression in the cytoplasm was associated with lymph node metastasis (R = 0.164, P = 0.008, Kendall's tau‐b‐test). No more associations were found between MOR1 expression status and other clinical parameters. However, no statistical significant differences were found between MOR1 expression in the cytoplasm, nucleus/membrane, and the overall survival of ESCC patients (P = 0.848; P = 0.167; P = 0.428, respectively, log‐rank test). Our results suggest that the cytoplasmic MOR1 may be a high‐risk factor for lymph node metastasis of ESCC patients. We also hypothesize that MOR1 agonists used in ESCC patients should be prudent, and opioid receptor antagonists may be novel therapeutic drugs for ESCC patients.     

Expression of breast cancer anti‐estrogen resistance 1 in relation to vascular endothelial growth factor,p53, and prognosis in esophageal squamous cell cancer

The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of breast cancer anti‐estrogen resistance 1 (BCAR1) expression in relation to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), p53, and proliferation in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). Expression of BCAR1, VEGF, p53, and the ki‐67 proliferative index were examined by tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry in 106 specimens with ESCC and matched adjacent normal tissues. Among them, 40 cases were simultaneously examined by Western blot. Both Western blot and immunohistochemistry showed that BCAR1 expression was substantially higher in ESCC than in adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.001). BCAR1 expression was significantly connected with degree of tumor differentiation, with poorly differentiated tumors showing higher BCAR1 expression (P < 0.001). BCAR1 expression was significantly and positively correlated with VEGF and p53 expression levels (r= 0.541, P < 0.001; r= 0.374; P < 0.001) but not proliferative index (r= 0.44; P= 0.066). Additionally, a significant relationship was also observed between VEGF and p53 (r= 0.321; P= 0.001). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with high BCAR1 expression had significantly shorter survival times than those with low BCAR1 expression levels (median survival 40 months vs. 27 months, P= 0.09). Multivariate analysis also revealed that levels of BCAR1 expression (hazard ratio 2.250, P= 0.015) was a significant and independent prognostic indicator. High expression of BCAR1 is associated with elevated VEGF and p53 expression levels, as well as poor prognosis in ESCC. Therefore, BCAR1 may be a potential candidate for predicting prognosis and a new therapy target for ESCC.     

Protein kinase D1 mRNA level may predict cancer‐specific survival in heavy smokers with esophageal squamous cell cancers

Protein kinase D1 (PRKD1) is a kinase that regulates various pathways, which involve in cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell adhesion and invasion. Although PRKD1 expression has been observed in many cancers, its role in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) has not been well reported. As its dysregulation in cancers is organ specific, we sought to investigate the potential role of PRKD1 in the progression of ESCC. Samples were collected from 178 patients with completely resected ESCCs at Sun Yat‐sen University Cancer Center, including 47 pairs of tumorous and non‐tumorous tissues. PRKD1 mRNA expression was investigated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to search for a feasible cut‐off point of PRKD1 mRNA levels for predicting cancer‐specific survival. Kaplan–Meier and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to assess the prognostic value of PRKD1 mRNA level in ESCC patients. In result, upregulation of PRKD1 mRNA was detected in 55.3% (26/47) of ESCC tissues compared with paired non‐tumorous ones (P = 0.011). ROC analysis indicated 3.28 as a cut‐off point, and thus 72 and 106 tumors with low and high PRKD1 mRNA expression were categorized. High‐PRKD1 mRNA expression in tumors appeared with more frequency in heavy smokers (P = 0.002) and patients with advanced pathological T category (P = 0.034). Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that patients with low‐PRKD1 mRNA had a longer cancer‐specific survival than the ones with high‐PRKD1 level (P = 0.044). Multivariate analysis showed that tumorous PRKD1 mRNA expression was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio: 1.538, 95% confidence interval: 1.018–2.323, P = 0.041) in resected ESCC. Subgroup analysis revealed that the discernibility of PRKD1 mRNA level on ESCC outcomes was only pronounced in heavy smokers (P = 0.002), but not in non‐heavy smokers (P = 0.870). PRKD1 might play a potential oncogenic role in ESCC. It might be an independent biomarker to predict prognosis in heavy smokers with ESCC.     

Expression of klotho and β‐catenin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,and their clinicopathological and prognostic significance

Esophageal carcinoma is one of the most common types of cancers in the world; the molecular mechanism underlying its tumorigenesis is still not well understood. This study was aimed at investigating the expression of klotho and β‐catenin in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and analyzing their association with clinicopathological variables and their effects on prognosis. The expression patterns of klotho and β‐catenin were determined by tissue microarray and immunohistochemical technique in ESCC and normal tissues, and their correlations with clinicopathological characteristics were investigated using univariate and multivariate analysis. The serum klotho levels in 40 ESCC patients and controls were measured by sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay system (ELISA). The expression level of klotho was significantly lower in ESCC than in the adjacent noncancerous tissues (30 vs. 50%, P < 0.000), and the protein level was negative correlated with clinical staging, histological grade, lymph node metastasis, and invasion depth (P < 0.05). Whereas, the expression of β‐catenin was much higher in ESCC than their corresponding normal mucosa tissues (78.3 vs. 11.5%, P < 0.000), and the level of protein correlated only with histological grade and invasion depth (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed the expression level of klotho inversely correlated with that of β‐catenin (r = ?0.214, P < 0.01). Patients with klotho‐positive tumors had longer survival than those with klotho‐negative tumors (P < 0.01). Cox proportional hazards model analysis demonstrated that positive expression of klotho was an important factor indicating good prognosis (hazard ratio, 0.371; 95% confidence interval, 0.201–0.685; P < 0.01). ELISA showed that the level of serum klotho was markedly higher (461.50 ± 43.30 pg/mL) than control group (239.37 ± 20.65 pg/mL) (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis gave a cut‐off value of 327.031 of serum klotho with a sensitivity of 81.3% and specificity of 81.2% (P < 0.000). Our present study demonstrated for the first time that klotho might be a novel biomarker candidate for predicting progression and prognosis in patients with ESCC.     

内皮抑素在食管鳞癌中的表达及其意义

目的研究内皮抑素在食管鳞癌中的表达及其意义。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测内皮抑素在62例食管鳞癌中的表达。结果食管鳞癌组织内皮抑素阳性表达率高于切缘组织和食管良性病组织（P〈0．01），食管鳞癌内皮抑素表达水平与原发肿瘤的浸润深度、远处转移情况、细胞分化程度、临床TNM分期均有密切关系（P均〈0．05），而与原发肿瘤部位、区域淋巴结转移状况以及食管鳞癌患者的年龄、性别、饮食习惯、家族史等均无明显关系（均P〉0．05）。结论内皮抑素可能在抑制食管鳞癌侵袭和转移过程中发挥重要作用，可以作为判断其预后的指标之一。     

Prognostic relevance and therapeutic implications of centromere protein F expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Centromere protein F (CENP‐F), a cell cycle‐regulated centromere protein, has been shown to affect numerous tumorigenic processes. This study aimed to clarify the prognostic significance of CENP‐F expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The levels of CENP‐F messenger RNA and protein were higher in ESCC cell lines than in the normal tissues. An immunohistochemical analysis of paired tissue specimens showed that the CENP‐F expression was higher in tumorous tissues than in the adjacent non‐tumorous tissues (P < 0.001). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between CENP‐F expression and gender (P = 0.012), clinical stage (P = 0.039), and T classification (P = 0.026). Patients with higher CENP‐F expression had shorter overall survival than those with lower CENP‐F expression (P = 0.009). Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that CENP‐F expression is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio = 0.582, 95% confidence interval = 0.397–0.804, P = 0.041). Importantly, it was found that zoledronic acid (ZOL) could significantly enhance the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of ESCC cell lines with high CENP‐F expression to cisplatin, although ZOL alone only exhibited a minor inhibitory effect to ESCC cells. In summary, these findings demonstrate that CENP‐F may serve as a valuable molecular marker for predicting the prognosis of ESCC patients. In addition, the data indicate a potential benefit of combining ZOL with cisplatin in ESCC, suggesting that CENP‐F expression may have therapeutic implications.