CCN1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: In terms of cancer, the overexpression of Cyr61 has been linked to the growth and progression of various cancers.27 Cyr61 has also been reported to support the chemotaxis of various cell types including murine macrophages,25,32 and to induce a proinflammatory genetic program of murine macrophages.32 From these reports, we speculate that Cyr61 might also be involved in the recruitment or differentiation of macrophages in the ESCC microenvironment.