High-throughput assessment analysis using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (http://cancergenome.nih.gov/) revealed that SOX9 was significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues compared with that in non-tumor tissues (non-tumor: n = 9, tumor: n = 70; P = 0.0107; Figure 1A). The gene discussed is SOX9; the disease is neoplasm.