In addition, gene signatures related to activated cancer stroma were also strongly enriched in Twist1-high ESCC patients, including gene sets of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (NES = 2.24, FDR q-val < 0.001), angiogenesis (NES = 1.93, FDR q-val = 0.018), and hypoxia (NES = 1.99, FDR q-val = 0.015) (Figure 6). This evidence concerns the gene TWIST1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.