Further COX-multivariate regression analysis indicated that the level of HAX-1 mRNA(Wald χ2 = 55.641,P = 0.000) and protein (Wald χ2 = 0.7.929, P = 0.005) were risk factors of survival, but lymph node metastasis (Wald χ2 = 0.506, P = 0.477) were not a risk factor of survival in the patients with ESCC. Here, HAX1 is linked to metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.