We found that there were significantly lower MMP13 mRNA levels (mean ± SD) among carriers of the rs2252070 AA genotype compared to carriers of the GG genotype in ESCC tissues (0.014 ± 0.026 [n = 12] vs. 0.119 ± 0.074 [n = 24], P < 0.01) or normal esophagus tissues (0.024 ± 0.034 [n = 12] vs. 0.088 ± 0.050 [n = 24], P < 0.01). Here, MMP13 is linked to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.