Tenascin-C expression (69.1% in stromal fibroblasts and 55.1% in cancer cells) was significantly higher in ESCC tissue samples than in adjacent non-tumor esophageal epithelium (10.0% in stromal fibroblasts and 10.0% in epithelial cells; p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Here, TNC is linked to cancer.