RUNX3 and esophageal cancer: Analysis of the pooled data showed that 1) Esophageal cancers had a higher methylation rate than normal tissues, or well-differentiated cancer tissues; 2) The prevalence of lymph node involvement, tumor size (T1–T2 vs T3–T4) and histological grade was significantly greater in RUNX3-negative cases (RUNX3 unmethylated groups) than in RUNX3-positive cases; RUNX3 methylation was significantly higher in EAC than in BE; and 3) The pooled HR for OS showed that decreased RUNX3 expression was associated with worse survival in esophageal cancer.